Venues and Financing
Astana Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov announced venues being built include a multipurpose Sports Palace which will seat up to 15,000 spectators, a ski jump complex, a biathlon stadium, and an athlete village.
Upgrades to existing venues included modernizing the Central Stadium, the B. Sholak Sports Palace, Medeo Skating Rink, and Shimbulak Ski Resort. The ski area was increased fivefold from the current 5 km to 65 km. In 2008 a gondola lift from Medeo Skating Rink to Shymbulak Ski Resort was planned to be completed, however, only in the summer of 2010 construction really started and was under serious time preassure. Medeo Skating rink, built in 1972, is an outdoor rink about a half-hour from Almaty. It is surrounded by the Tian Shan Mountains.
Kazakh Minister of Sports Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov notes the USD 726 million for construction and renovation comes from the 2008 state budget. The Olympic village, on the other hand, will be financed by private investors. Overall, Kazakhstan is spending over $1.4 billion to develop the area it in advance of the games.
Upgrades to the Almaty airport were finished by December 2008; transport issues are also being reviewed. Millions of KZT are being earmarked for reconstruction and construction of main transport routes, overpasses, a ring road as well as investment in a light railway transport line between Talgar, Almaty, and Kaskelen. The plan also included purchases of city passenger buses, taxis, and possibly the construction of an underground electric transport system.
Almaty also upgraded its power supply network of substations and transmission lines. Expansion and reconstruction of heating systems was also recommended. A portion also got into environmental stabilisation.
In 2008, both Medeo and Shymbulak Ski Resort were rebuilt in preparation for the Games. By 2015, Vladimir Smirnov, deputy head of the national ski federation, sayd the Shymbulak complex will play a key role in any prospective Olympic bid, and "by 2015 Shymbulak should become one of the world's ten largest ski resorts". People love to ski in Shymbulak, and many teenagers spend their weekends over there.
Read more about this topic: 2011 Asian Winter Games