Kazakhstan should develop all the Olympic winter sports - Four- time World Champion skier Vladimir Smirnov
- Vladimir, can you say if Kazakhstani athletes met our expectations?
- It should be noted that the Olympics are still underway. It is very difficult to judge and analyze the results which have been shown in Sochi. We have many sports presented for the first time. But the expectations that we had for the whole delegation, are not yet realized. The expectations that we put on Denis Ten were fully answered. He won a bronze medal, so there is no claim to it. He did his best.
- Vladimir, in London our team performed brilliantly. This suggests that winter sports in Kazakhstan are less developed than the summer ones...
- I can see how winter sports are developing and I can say with great pride that they are developing very well. We have hockey, skates, skiing, biathlon as well as technical types of winter sports such as mogul and snowboard. They do not require great physical readiness but good technique and coordination.
- Is there any use of focusing on the development of a specific kind of winter sport in order to achieve success at Olympics?
- All kinds of Olympic sports are equal. Each of them should be paid great attention. Another thing is that when you need to consider the level of the sport's development and what number of people are engaged in the sport. There are traditional types such as skiing, hockey, skating which involve hundreds and thousands of people. In addition, of course, there are technical sports - not just freestyle, but also snowboarding, luge, bob-sleigh where currently we have no representatives. It is necessary to develop hockey - both women's and men's.
- Is curling suitable for Kazakhstan?
- All sports fit Kazakhs athletes. What differs Kazakhstan from other countries? Nothing, of course! 20-30 years ago, people said Chinese were not able to ski. And today in skiing and even biathlon Chinese athletes beat almost all reps of the world's elite. They are good at alpine skiing, ice skating, short track. Therefore, we need to get rid of such thoughts: whether to develop or not.
- In your opinion, what are the chances of Almaty to hold the Winter Olympics in 2022?
- We have a very good chance thank to the opportunities that exist in Almaty. We have jumps, skiing. We live near the mountains, where we can hold competitions both in speed and technical sports. We need to build a complex for luge and bob-sleigh. That is a real opportunity and a real goal. But it is necessary to work professionally. We should involve all levels of society - from politicians to ordinary people of Kazakhstan. If we all work together in one direction, then in the near future we will realize our goal.
- Thank you for the interview!