First Spartakiad in 5 kinds of sports of summer Deaflympics kicks off in Almaty (PHOTO)

Representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sport Bekbolat Bijanov and one of the first Kazakh Olympic champions, world-renowned wrestler Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov made a welcoming speech. The spartakiad will last up to August 28, the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Sport informed. This competition is held to promote physical culture and sports among disabled as an important factor of healthy lifestyle and social, psychological and physical rehabilitation.

The main objectives include involving disabled people with hearing impairments in active physical training and sport; training of sport reserve and improving sports skills of disabled athletes with hearing impairments; selection of the strongest athletes to form the national teams. Annually Kazakhstan holds more than 40 national championships among all categories of disabled persons.

Committee of Deaf Sports was formed in 2011. It represents the interests of Kazakhstani disabled athletes with hearing impairments abroad. The number of people with disabilities engaged in physical culture and sport has increased from 16,643 (8.3%) in 2012 to 18 220 (8.7%) as of the end of 2013.

At present in Kazakhstan operate 8 sport clubs for disabled (in Astana and Almaty, Almaty, Aktobe, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Mangystau and North Kazakhstan regions), 2 schools of Wheelchair Sport (in Karaganda and South Kazakhstan regions) with the total number of more than 2,500 people involved, 2 units of Wheelchair Sport in Kyzylorda regional specialized youth school of Olympic reserve and in Kokshetau specialized junior school.

An active work is being held in East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay and Pavlodar regions on opening sport clubs for physically challenged disabled people. The main organizer of the event is the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of Almaty Akimat.