Kazakhstan announces flag bearers for 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan

Nurlan Yesembayev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Sports and Physical Culture, disclosed the athletes chosen as flag bearers during a meeting of the Public Council at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

“Denis Nikisha, Honored Master of Sports of Kazakhstan in short track, along with Yana Khan, International-Class Master of Sports, will bear the Kazakh flag at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony,” Yesembayev said.

Kazakhstan's Denis Nikisha is a two-time silver medalist in the 500-meter distance at the World Short Track Championships (2024, 2025). Yana Khan won silver in the relay at the 2025 Winter Asian Games.

Yesembayev added that Kazakhstan is expected to be represented by 35 athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with the largest numbers coming from Akmola region, Astana, East Kazakhstan, and Almaty. Nine athletes will come from Akmola, eight from Astana and East Kazakhstan each, six from Almaty, five from Kostanay, four from Shymkent, three from Pavlodar, and one each from North Kazakhstan, Karaganda, and Abai.

“To ensure thorough preparation for the Winter Olympics, total funding in 2025 amounted to 13.2 billion tenge, including 585 million from sports federations, 5.3 billion from the republican budget, 6.2 billion from local budgets, and 812.5 million from the Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund,” Yesembayev said.

The opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Olympics will be held on February 6, 2026, at Milan’s San Siro Stadium.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has released a special guide for fans planning to attend the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.