The upcoming Asian Summer Games will see Kazakhstan send a strong team of athletes to Japan to compete in 35 events in the major international tournament little known outside Asia itself.
The event, similar to the Summer Olympics in many ways, was first staged in 1951 in New Delhi, India, and with the exception of the Covid-delayed 2022 games, has been held every four years.
There is also an Asian Winter Games, which Kazakhstan hosted in 2011. The city of Almaty will also host the 2029 version.
Since their inception, 46 nations have taken part in the Asian Summer Games, and the run up to 19 September this year will see thousands of sporting hopefuls arrive in the Aichi Prefecture in Japan, with the city of Nagoya becoming the third Japanese city to host the Asian Games, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
These will be the 20th staging of this massive event, with a large Kazakh contingent expected to compete for medals shortly after their compatriots did so well in another major spectacle, the World Nomad Games.
Although the opening ceremony is set for 19 September, some of the teams taking part have already played, although it was unlucky for the Kazakhstan basketball team who were beaten by a strong Chinese side in their opening match.
Kazakhstan first competed in the Asian Games in 1994 and since then has featured high up the final medal table several times. This year will see its team hopeful of picking up medals in those 35 sports, with judo one of those expected to get Kazakhstanis on the podium.
Those the country excels in include boxing, cycling, gymnastics, weightlifting, and tennis, but medals are expected to come from other sports, too, including some of those featuring in the Asian Games for the first time.
As reported by Qazinform, chosen as flag bearers for the country are Olympic judo gold medallist, Yeldos Smetov, and table tennis champion, Sarvinoz Mirkadirova, who has performed very well on the world stage for several years.
The Asian Summer Games reach their conclusion on 4 October, which means that the two-week long event will be another chance for Kazakhstan to prove that the investment the country is making in sport at every level is paying off.
