Hopes for success in Guangzhou
Like many other diplomats across Asia, Ikram Adyrbekov, the Kazakhstan ambassador [æmˈbæsədə]to China, believes that the true significance [siɡˈnifikəns] of the Guangzhou Asian gameslies in its potential [pəˈtenʃəl]to help unite [ju:ˈnait] countries across the continent [ˈkɔntinənt]and create a truly harmonious Asia.
He said: "Asia is a continent composed of a number of countries with rich cultural resources. In order to create a genuinely harmonious Asia, we have to respect these different cultures and allow them to work together."
He believes that the 16th Guangzhou Asian Games, like the Beijing Olympic Games before it, will offer audiences an unforgettable visual treat. He has high expectations, in particular, of both the opening and closing ceremonies.
He said the Chinese people's traditional warm hospitality and state-of-the-art sports venues have left a deep impression on him: "Guangzhou has successfully constructed and renovated a large number of sports venues and facilities within a short time, with the majority of the preparation work already completed."
Turning to the preparation work undertaken by the Kazakhstan team in the buildup to the Games, Adyrbekov recalled the country's successes at the 15th Asian Games, held four years ago in Doha in Qatar. Overall, the Kazakhstan team took fourth place, winning a total of 85 medals . This ranked it just behind China, South Korea and Japan.
Recalling this success, he said: "In recent years, the ability of our athletes to win medals, in both Asian and global tournaments, has continued to improve. We have won both in the International Tour and the Olympics. These achievements would have been impossible without the support of our national leadership [ˈli:dəʃip]."
Kazakhstan's athletes have participated in the Asian Games since the 1990s.
