Towering above the undulating snowy tundra a tall grey scaled structure cuts into the grey winter sky.
It is as though it has landed from outer space or been left over from a SciFi movie Buy the tower is not a launch pad to the stars but is a launch pad for olympic stars – aspiring olympic ski jumpers from all over the world come to the small city of Schuchinsk in the north of Kazakhstan to hone their ‘flying skills’!
The 125-hectare facility, at an altitude of 400 metres above sea level, is one of the few of its kind in the world. It features biathlon tracks, a stadium, shooting range and indoor sports complex with swimming pool and training halls. Opened in 2018 the centre is equipped with the right conditions for year-round training.
To compete with its European alternatives they have added a ski trampoline. It includes K-90 and K-125 launch platforms, an 82-metre tower, judging tower with panoramic view, 10,000-spectator arena, cable car rail, doping control centre and medical centre.
The Director of the whole complex, Ardak Tuledin Bolatovich, is an experienced sportsman and sports manger working in Akbulak and Grand Alatau in the south of Kazakhstan. Before that he was a very respected judo coach. He is rightly proud of the complex and smiles when it is described as a piece of ‘futurist architecture’ – “ Yes! it is the future – the future for Kazakhstan’s athletes’.
He was very happy to welcome me as Chairman of the Eurasian Creative Guild and was as keen to know about our work in publishing and creative events, as we were to know about him. We discussed a wide range of topics and he was amused by my description of the black run at Akbulak, which I have never managed to ski without falling.
He has a positive vision for the complex and wants to widen it out to the community – Children’s Snow festivals are held during the winter months and he is very proud that other countries come to use the facilities to train and share experiences. “This week it is the Thailand team and next week the Italians are here” he tells us “and next spring we have 55 countries, with 800 competitors and support staff attending a major International Biathlon Union competition.” I am sure that, as a result of our meeting, we can work closely together to promote the region and its world class facilities.
The ski complex has significantly enhanced the Burabuy resort area’s sports and entertainment infrastructure, and it is now even compared to Sochi in Russia. It is a major boost to tourism too, although the complex has its own hotel, able to house 200 people they liaise with the extensive number of hotels locally, to provide the extra places needed for the upcoming international tournaments and international visitors to the area.
(ECG London team led by Gareth Stamp Visited the Olympic ski jump centre to meet with Director of complex Ardak Tuledin Bolatovich in Shchuchinsk.Chairman ECG London was accompanied by Anthia and Raza Syed).
