MILAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) held the signing ceremony of the Host City Contract for the 10th Asian Winter Games here on Thursday, officially confirming Kazakhstan's Almaty as the host city.
In his remarks at the ceremony, OCA president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani said that the Asian Winter Games serves as an important platform for strengthening cooperation and solidarity among member committees, in line with the OCA's vision to advance Asian sport at all levels.
He added that the 10th edition of the Games is expected to attract broad participation from across the continent, enhancing Asia's presence in winter sports and promoting the continued development of organizational and technical structures.
The host city contract was signed between the OCA and the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, by Sheikh Joaan and Alimzhan Akayev, secretary general of the NOC of Kazakhstan.
OCA director general Husain Al Musallam told Xinhua that he hopes the number of participating countries and regions at the 2029 Asian Winter Games will continue to increase.
He also noted that the OCA has been strengthening training programs for athletes, youth, coaches and referees to promote the development of winter sports in Asia, adding that China's Harbin is a central hub for Asian winter sports development and the OCA holds a series of annual training programs there.
"I think after the success in the Harbin Asian Winter Games, some Asian athletes will continue to receive medals during the ongoing Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics," Husain Al Musallam said.
"After the Beijing Olympic [Winter] Games in 2022, the development of winter sports is huge in China. This is very good for society. Of course, when you have a lot of athletes, you will have more champions," he added.
Akayev told the press that Almaty has enough infrastructure and looks forward to promoting the city through the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which will also support the local sports and tourism industries.
The OCA announced Monday that the 10th Asian Winter Games, originally scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2029, will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
