In Karaganda, winners and medalists of the Paralympic and Deaflympic Games received a special gift on Sports Day — keys to their own apartments, reports infohub.kz.
Six athletes were handed keys to apartments. The new homeowners are Dastan Mukashbekov, Dayana Fedosova, Yerkebulan Kanafin, Ayan Abdrash, Aizhamol Abdikarova, and Aida Makatova.
The ceremony took place at the House of Friendship, where athletes, coaches, and veterans of the industry were honored.
"Today, over a thousand representatives of the Karaganda region are members of the national teams of the country. To move forward, we are transitioning from building individual facilities to creating a modern sports environment and a cluster approach. It is important that sports are accessible to everyone, so we pay special attention to the inclusive direction. Our goal is to create conditions for all: from a child who first comes to a section to an athlete representing Kazakhstan at major competitions," noted Deputy Akim of the region Alibek Aldenei.
Deaf taekwondo athlete Ayan Abdrash shared his emotions. The Master of Sports of Kazakhstan has been practicing taekwondo for 18 years. At the Deaflympics, he has repeatedly become the best — winning gold and two bronze medals.
"I like taekwondo as a sport. My parents brought me to the section, and I started to succeed. I trained hard and am very grateful for such support. I express my huge gratitude to the regional akimat and the Department of Physical Culture and Sports," said Ayan Abdrash.
The best representatives of the sports sphere were awarded with certificates of honor and letters of thanks. This time, not only the celebrated athletes were recognized, but also their parents. Sports veterans were also congratulated and given gifts.