Karina charming her way to bring 2022 Winter Olympics to Almaty

Kazakhstan figure skater Uruzova talks is a press briefing for the bid to bring 2022 Winter Olympics to Almaty, Kazakhstan. - AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Kazakhstan figure-skater Karina Uzurova is warm and friendly.

And the 18-year-old intends to use her charming personality to help her hometown Almaty land the host job for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Two cities – Almaty and Beijing – are bidding to host it and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates will select the 2022 host city at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Friday.

Uzurova, who finished fourth at the Youth Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012, said that her city had much to offer.

“I was born in Almaty. The mountains are a sight to behold. The deep snow, the scenic view ... it’s like a land from a fairy tale story. Many people have no idea how beautiful the place is,” said the Almaty 2022 bid ambassador.

“It will be a good experience for our country and to our people. For me, it will be amazing to compete in front of my home spectators.”

Uzurova picked up figure skating when she was just six years old.

“I had no choice really ... my mother is a figure skating coach!” chuckled Uzurova.

“I wanted to be a gymnast but it would have been a logistical nightmare for my mom. She cannot be at two places at the same time. After two years, I fell in love with the sport. I also do ballet ... it complements figure skating.”

Being a lover of classical music, Uzurova, who also competes in the duet with Ilyas Ali, performs to music composed by Wolfgang Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

“Classical music is soothing ... I love it, although I do listen to modern music. Classical music brings the best out of me when I am in the rink,” said Uzurova, who acknowledged that life as a figure skater is not all a bed of roses.

“There have been hard days. I’ve been injured before. Then, there is the strict diet. I’ve had to cut down on chocolates and sweets. But when I see positive results in all the tournaments that I compete in, they make all these sacrifices worth it,” added Uzurova.