ASTANA – Astana celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of the Burkasyn winter competition on Feb. 14, bringing collectively households, newbie athletes, and sports activities fans alongside the Yessil River embankment in Central Park.
Photo credit score : The Astana Times / Nargiz Raimbekova Click to see the map in full dimension. The map is designed by The Astana Times.
Since 2005, the occasion has featured competitions in 13 sports activities, starting from cross-country snowboarding and kettlebell lifting to arm wrestling, belt wrestling, tug-of-war, winter mini-football, snow tossing, winter volleyball, mas-wrestling, tubing races, motorsports, and auto contests. Family and kids’s classes have been moreover included as properly.
This yr, it introduced practically 1,000 athletes throughout all disciplines.
Photo credit score : The Astana Times / Nargiz Raimbekova
“Today’s event is held annually as a winter festival,” mentioned Yerzhigit Osserbay, deputy head of the town’s directorate for organizing mass sports activities occasions.
“This year, we included seven to eight categories covering a total of 13 sports. Looking ahead, we intend to broaden the program by adding curling and full-format ice hockey in addition to the existing hockey events,” Osserbay added.
The competition additionally served as a present of assist for Kazakhstan’s athletes competing in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
For many contributors, the competition carried each social and athletic worth.
Aysulu Mussenova. Photo credit score : The Astana Times / Nargiz Raimbekova
“I’m a physical education teacher at Astana’s Gymnasium No. 38, and I follow the Ministry of Sports on Instagram. I’ve previously run marathons, and today I decided to compete in the ski race alongside my sister,” mentioned Aisulu Mussenova mentioned in a remark for this story.
“Events like this are crucial, first and foremost, for the health of our younger generation. I moved to Astana approximately four years ago, and while this is my first time participating, I plan to return in future events,” she mentioned.
What started as a winter sports activities competition to encourage wholesome dwelling has now grown right into a citywide celebration of athleticism, household enjoyable, and neighborhood satisfaction. The twenty fifth anniversary version highlighted Astana’s strong winter sports activities tradition and inspired residents to assist Kazakhstan’s Olympic athletes competing in Italy, demonstrating that the town’s ardour for sports activities extends far past the Olympics.
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