Kumtor Company Supports the Development of Winter Sports in Jeti-Oguz Region

published: 24 February 2016

Last week the hockey tournament among the two female and four junior teams of Kyzyl-Suu and Svetlaya Polyana took place at the ice rink in Svetlaya Polyana village of Jeti-Oguz region, Issyk-Kul oblast.

The tournament was held with the support of Kumtor Gold Company, which had previously purchased sports uniform and outfit for teams from both villages. Each set of outfit included skates, pucks, hockey sticks, helmets and uniforms. The total cost of the outfit was about KGS 400,000.

The ice rink in Svetlaya Polyana village was set up by the family of Kudaibergen Sakenov, employee of Kumtor Gold Company. The Sakenovs poured water into the rink, erected the fence and bought skates at their own expense. Members of the Sakenov family also trained the local sports fans to ice skate. Since this year, the ice rink has become a symbol of the village, and the signboard advertising the rink is even hanging on the turn to the main road.

“We appreciate that the company supports the development of sports in our region, it is pleasant that the company’s employees even invest their own money in it. Construction of the ice rink has been lasting for many years, and Kumtor took an active part in the process. Previously, there was an open pit here, we filled it in with a soil in 2014, when Kumtor cleaned up the daily run-off pond in our village, and the area for the ice rink was leveled out by aiyl okmotu,” head of the rural council Jylkychy Mamytkanov said.

It was decided that the Challenge Cup handed over by Kumtor would be a transferable prize. The friendly match between the teams ended in a draw, and the Cup is still kept by the host party, i.e. the players of Svetlaya Polyana, so the rivals still have a chance to contend for it.