Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan establish Central Asian Triathlon Association

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - The national triathlon federations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of Kazakhstan founded the Central Asian Triathlon Association (CATA), Kazinform has learned from the press service of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan.

During the first meeting of CATA held at Nazarbayev University, the parties signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and Mutual Understanding, and also elected the Executive Committee. The parties agreed that CATA's main goal will be triathlon development and popularization in Central Asian countries and the presentation of a unified position in the Asian Triathlon Confederation (ASTC), which will give an additional impetus to the development of triathlon in the Central Asian region as a whole and allow athletes, and technical delegates to freely share the experience gained. Besides, by combined efforts, CATA members intend to purposefully and uncompromisingly combat the use of substances and procedures prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Triathlon Union (ITU).

Vice-President of the Kazakhstan Triathlon Federation and Head of the Almaty Triathlon Federation Galimzhan Yessenov was unanimously elected Head of CATA.

The meeting was chaired by the Karim Massimov, President of the Kazakhstan Triathlon Federation, with the participation of Leonid Blokhin, Secretary General of the Uzbekistan Triathlon Federation, and Chyngyz Alkanov and Yelena Lyzhina-Polchinkova, President and Secretary General of the Kyrgyzstan Triathlon Federation, respectively. In attendance also were: the Kazakhstan Triathlon Federation's Vice-President Aidyn Rakhimbayev, General Secretary Maksim Kryat, Executive Director Assylzhan Dostiyarov, and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Almaty Triathlon Federation Valikhan Ten.