Asian Winter Games Photo Album

Kazakhstan is MUCH nicer than expected....and Almaty is MUCH cooler than expected. This was a great week with good people, good hockey and bad coffee....

The Olympic Council of Asia awarded the Player of The Game Award. I never found out who voted but they usually got it wrong.

Me - Baluan Sholak Sports Palace. Named after a famous Weightlifter.

South Korea were quite bad at Ice Hockey it turns out.

The week before I arrived I noticed -22 degrees temperatures and it did get chilly but it wasn't half as cold as I expected. Didn't need to buy long johns but was very happy to have these boots bought for me as it was icey on the streets. 

China were my favorite team, but let me down badly.

The buildings in Almaty looked a bit Eastern European and many times you might think you were in Russia or Poland or  even a bit of central Europe, but then all the people looked Oriental. This was a shocker for me and I felt a bit stupid not knowing to expect this. Most of the men looked like this guy.  



The Cable Cars. These were awesome. And free for media. The Asiada Logo of the White Tiger was everywhere, although I saw no actual White Tigers  



The Amazing Shin

China v South Korea

Bandy up in the mountains

Kazakhstan pose for team pics after Gold Medal win

And line up to get their Gold

The Real Life Borat

Don't Milk It Girls

Car Park After Gold Medal Game, the Kazaki Girls mobbed like Rock Stars

They even had a customised team bus

If you put your hand in here and make a wish it is supposed to come true. Let me tell you something. It doesn't work. 



Big screen outside the Baluan Sholak



Canadians Let Loose. The crew for the Ice Hockey was massive and mostly Canadian. I thought I'd be working with a small local crew but these guys were top notch. Luke Coley is on the left and bloody hell I can't remember the guy on the left, except he was from Nova Scotia and probably called Steve. Both excellent chaps and brillaint young TV talents. I really regret not a) learning their names and b) not getting contacts for these guys. They were great.    

Kazaki medalists...and an unknown helper. The volunteers at the AWG and in Baluan Sholak who all had these red ski suits were so so good. Helped make the event what it was. 

Lost my free hat early on so had to go with green cap. Not quite warm enough. This is me at the finish line of the Giant Slalom. We were working for the Host Broadcaster so had loads of free stuff to wear some of which I brought back, some of which I left behind as there was just so much....so happy days for my maid at the hotel. But the ski jacket was a keeper....although I doubt if I will ever wear the snood. 

This Guy

So I am getting irritated by this guy. First he comes over and tells us off for walking on the plastic wire coverings on the floor in the press room, but they are the same colour as the floor so it's going to happen. Next day he tells me I can't go into coffee room because it's for media only. I tell him I am media and go and make a coffee (which btw was THE WORST coffee ever, a ready-made sugar, powdered milk and coffee sachet to add to hot water)...then the very next day he stands right by me when I am doing my game notes and and eats an orange!

But then I lose my glasses and he finds them and keeps them in a safe place until the next day and then carries them around with him until he sees me.

I LOVE THIS GUY

Merry Christmas Kazakhstan!

Yes, it's February so what's with the Christmas Trees?

The Astana International Hotel in Almaty is ok, a bit in need of an update, but ok. But there are Christmas decorations everywhere.
Never got around to asking why.
The hotel is on about four floors. Three floors of rooms, the ground floor which is a bar which is also at reception, then a basement floor which consists of a massage room, gym, a place to buy rugs (!) and a sports bar called, as far as I could tell, Eurospor. This place is seriously strange but the beer is about 150 tenge cheaper than upstairs at 330 (about 2 dollars US), the vodka even cheaper and the tea free. Nice staff and football on TV. They had three screens hooked up to just about every type of sat box you could imagine, cables coming out of everywhere, English, Italian, Spanish and Turkish matches all the time and a screen showing results from all over. But usually I was the only non gambling, non Turk in the place. Not a shred of glamour to the place but it was interesting. Smokey. Bar staff wore Chelsea shirts, home and away. 
Upstairs they served food in the bar. Can I suggest the club sandwich. Avoid the lasagne. My buddy Neil tried it, sent it back, but no amount of microwaving could make it hot.
In fact stay safe with the club sandwiches. With chips of course. Everything here with chips. A barmaid called Kamshat said rather disloyally "Not good cook here.....Russian".

Hotel a very good choice if you are going to a football match at the National Stadium, or the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace which is two minutes away....

Place of Work

The Baluan Sholak Sports Palace, named after local weightlifter, is where the hockey takes place in Almaty. As usual it is a misty morning. This place has been sort of done up at the last minute but is a pretty nice arena inside. 5,000 seats and nice marble steps but no walkways at all so everyone has to sort of squeeze in like a cinema. Even us as there is no way up to the commentary box without having to shuffle past spectators.

Next to the shopping centre and two minutes walk from Astana Hotel. 

This was my office for seven days, and the home of thrilling hockey, bad coffee and new friends.