Olympic rehearsal: What are Kazakhstan's chances of winning medals at the 2025 Asian Games?
From February 7 to 14, the Winter Asian Games will take place in Harbin, China. The days when the Asian continent was not a leading force in many winter sports are long gone, and the upcoming continental competitions are expected to showcase a level of competition on par with the world stage. What does the Kazakhstan national team need to do to maintain its position in the top 4 in the medal standings at these continental winter competitions? Correspondent Caravan.kz learned from experts.
Kazakhstan has participated in the Asian Games since 1994. The most successful winter competition was the 2011 Asian Winter Games held in Almaty and Astana, where Kazakhstan athletes won 70 medals (32 gold, 21 silver, and 17 bronze) and secured 1st place in the overall team medal standings. Among the "guest" winter Asian Games, the 1996 Games in Harbin stand out, where Kazakhstan finished 2nd in the overall team standings, winning 31 medals (14 gold, 9 silver, and 8 bronze). Nearly 30 years later, the winter Asian Games return to Harbin, but replicating that result in 2025 will be quite challenging for the Kazakhstan team.
Read also: The full roster of the Kazakhstan national team for the winter Asian Games 2025 in Harbin
Skiing
The legendary Kazakh skier, Olympic champion Vladimir Smirnov, noted in a conversation with "Karavan" that today, in skiing events, freestyle mogul skiers consistently bring home awards from international competitions, but this sport has not been included in the program for the 2025 Asian Games in Harbin. Meanwhile, in alpine skiing and cross-country skiing, which are part of the upcoming competition program, Kazakh athletes are currently not among the world's top performers.
It is important to note that competition in these skiing disciplines in Asia has significantly increased recently.
For instance, in the current World Cup standings for cross-country skiing, Japanese athlete Naoto Baba is in 39th place, followed by his compatriot Rio Hirose in 92nd place, while Kazakhstan's Svyatoslav Matasov is in 143rd place. The top 5 Asian athletes also include Japanese skier Haruki Yanashita and Chinese athlete Bao Lin. Among women, the top Asian athlete is also Japanese, Tsuchiya Masae (74th in the world), followed by Chika Kobayashi (107th), with Kazakhstan's Kamila Yergazinova in 122nd place, ranking third among Asian athletes in the World Cup.
"Today, on the eve of the Asian Games, I can say that there are many expectations from us, naturally, there are many opportunities, but I must say that the real situation in the team is quite challenging, because we cannot elevate the team to a high level in just one year; it requires several years of fruitful, good structural work. So far, the Kazakhstan team is not at a very high level by world standards, but at the Asian Games, we plan to win silver, gold, and bronze medals; we have our expectations, which we hope will come true. At least, today the team is approaching the starts in its best physical condition," said Vladimir Smirnov to "Karavan."
Smirnov identifies not only Japanese skiers but also Chinese athletes as the main competitors at the upcoming Asian Games 2025, stating that they are very strong in sprinting.
In May 2024, it was reported that Smirnov became the vice-president of the National Ski Association (NSA) of Kazakhstan, voluntarily taking on the strategy for developing cross-country skiing. The renowned athlete emphasizes that conclusions about the results of implementing the new strategy can only be drawn after several years, and the Asian Games are just the first step toward restoring Kazakhstan skiers' former leading positions in the world.
"This season, we have started working clearly, established a structured approach, appointed head coaches, second coaches, and a group of wax technicians, and conducted training camps in May and June. The team has undertaken three altitude training camps to improve each athlete's physical condition, with the last one concluding in the Almaty region. In terms of the training plan, it is being executed quite well; no training camp has been disrupted, and we have conducted all camps according to our plans. It is very important that both the Ministry of Sports and the Sports Committee have supported the entire financial burden. I hope that everything will go smoothly until the end of the season," explained Vladimir Smirnov.
As for freestyle acrobatics, the Kazakhstan team is currently experiencing a generational shift, while the Chinese team has announced a strong lineup that has triumphed in championships and World Cups. Therefore, the coaching staff of the Kazakhstan team speaks cautiously about their chances for medals, despite having the junior world champion Dinmukhamed Rayymkulov in the squad.
Speed Skating
Sports involving ice competitions have rich traditions in Asian countries, and thus, Asian athletes have long established themselves among the world leaders in these disciplines. Kazakh athletes also belong to the global elite in short track, speed skating, and figure skating.
The patriarch of Kazakh short track, consultant coach of the Kazakhstan national team in this sport, Madygali Karsybekov, noted that the upcoming Asian Games in this discipline can be called a true rehearsal for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"The preparation has gone well in Astana at the 'Alau' Sports Complex. The Asian Games are a critical competition for Asian countries like China, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, and others, all of which field their best teams. This can be considered a general rehearsal before the 2026 Winter Olympics. At the same time as the Asian Games, the 5th stage of the World Tour will take place in short track, but Asian teams will send their second squads there. The leaders, both from our side and our rivals, will compete at the Asian Games. As for our chances, we will definitely secure medals in team races; I can't specify which ones yet, as our boys are quite strong, and we are also waiting for high-quality medals in individual distances. It is preliminarily known that up to 9 winners and medalists of the Winter Olympics will participate in short track at the Asian Games," said Madygali Karsybekov.
The figure skating competition at the Asian Games will also see a star-studded lineup of participants, whose performances will be of great interest to fans worldwide. For example, at the 2025 Asian Games, the men's events will feature the third and fourth-ranked Japanese skaters, Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato, while the women's events will showcase the world ranking leader, Japanese Kaori Sakamoto, and the fourth-ranked Japanese skater, Hana Yoshida.
Yuri Guskov, president of the Kazakhstan Union of Figure Skating, is confident that Kazakhstan's figure skaters can win medals at the 2025 Asian Games.
"Despite the strong athletes announced by Japan, Korea, and China, including Kagiyama, Sato, Sakamoto, and Yoshida (Japan), as well as all top competitors from Korea and China, our team, including Shaydorov and Samodelkina, will be competing for medals," said Yuri Guskov.
Speed skating also holds potential for medals. Despite the fierce competition, the Kazakhstan team is currently quite strong and capable of contending for awards, with several athletes in the team vying for medals at the Asian Games.
All bets on hockey
The Kazakhstan men's hockey team is traditionally expected to bring home medals from the Asian Games. Statistics confirm that the hockey team has consistently returned from the Asian Games with either gold or silver medals. The Asian Championship held in Almaty at the end of 2024 reaffirmed the Kazakhstan team's dominance on the continent, competing without players from "Barys" in a significantly renewed roster. The gold medal was hard-earned — a shocking defeat to South Korea occurred in the first round. Head coach Oleg Boliakin attributed this to a lack of preparation time. After celebrating their victory, Boliakin stated that if players from "Barys," who were at the bottom of the KHL's Eastern Conference standings, joined the team for the Asian Games, it would improve the situation.
"If there are players from the KHL, we will certainly not refuse their help, as the KHL level consists of well-trained players," said Oleg Boliakin at that time.
As can be seen, the head coach's wishes were taken into account, and the team will present its strongest lineup with players from "Barys" and several Russian clubs in Harbin.
Regarding the women's team, they secured bronze medals at the Asian Championship held in 2024. The coaching staff boasts a strong lineup and also aims to delight the country with awards.
Who to expect surprises from?
Among the sports where Kazakhstan athletes may deliver a pleasant surprise for fans are biathlon, curling, and ski-alpinism.
The Kazakhstan biathlon team is conducting final preparations before flying to the winter Asian Games at their training base in the Almaty region. Both the coaching staff and the athletes are highly determined — the team is intent on bringing home medals for the country. Moreover, in the current World Cup season, Kazakhstan's biathletes are represented more broadly than biathletes from other Asian countries.
Timur Artyukhin is one of the athletes representing Kazakhstan in the new Olympic sport of ski-alpinism, which