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. 

AWG Women's Ice Hockey. How Did It End?

This was an excellent competition. South Korea finished with 4 losses scoring just one goal and in last place. North Korea finished fourth, with just one win, over SK. But the medalists were still duking it out on the final day of the round-robin format.
This is because of an amazingly topsey turvey game between Japan and China which Japan somehow won in OT (reported below) and Kazakhstan beating Japan in a penalty shoot out after a 2-2 draw after OT. So the Big Three had all been involved in tied games so far....and Japan, as expected beat North Korea in the morning game to put themselves top with just Kaz v China to play.

Look, if I'm losing you, this is what all this meant going into that final game....

If Kazakhstan beat China they would win Gold.
If China beat Kazakhstan, they would win Gold, but only if they won in regulation time.
If It was a 0-0, 1-1 or 2-2 draw...Japan could still win Gold...if China won in OT.
If it was a 3-3 draw or more, the winner of OT or Penalty Shots won Gold.....

So I went up the spiral stairs in the corner of the rink, edging past fans because there are no walkways in the Baluan Sholak, and got ready for the final game of the AWG.

Full House - Thursday Afternoon in Almaty



The Crosse - Chiplen - Love Line

It was a terrific game. Fitting for what had effectively become the Gold Medal game, but with the twist that Japan were watching from the stands still able to win it all.

Kazakhstan d-man Yelena Shtelmaister shot in the first goal in the 12th minute and a brilliantly finished breakaway by the speedy Zarina Tukhtiyeva, her second such goal in the competition, made it 2-0 after two periods. China were impressive though and every time the Zhang-Sun-Jin line were out they looked threatening. But the killer third goal came in the third period as Shtelmaister, powering in from the left wing, scored from close in. This we thought should settle it, but China came back so strongly you just felt there might still be a game on. China pulled their netminder on the powerplay and went 6 on 4, getting a goal back through extra forward Rui Ma and had chances to make it 3-2 before an empty netter from Lyubov Ibragimova in the last minute finally secured the win for Kazakhstan. China were my tip for Gold, their first line would beat anyone, but Kazakhstan had greater depth, a real finisher in Tukhtiyeva and great netminding from Darya Obydennova. And the 4-1 home win put everyone in a good mood.

And the result meant Kazakhstan won Gold, Japan Silver, China Bronze

Kaz celebrate

More

Kaz get their Gold Medals

Silver for Japan. Fast and skilled with the best passing game, and a Canadian Asst Coach - Andrew Allen - who is a great guy, always good for a chat and a useful source of research

Scored the only goal of the Penalty Shoot Out win over Japan which became decisive, plus two vital breakaway goals, possibly Player of the Games - Tukhtiyeva. A nightmare name for a commentator though.



Gold Winners



Tomoe Yamane with her Silver

The Kazaki netminder. A real bad-ass. Neck tattoo and all.



China. Should Do Better. Bronze




 And totally unofficial and my opinion only: The All Star Teams.

First All Star Team:
N/M: Obydennova - KAZ
D: Qi - CHINA
D: Shtelmaister - KAZ
F: Sun - CHINA
F: Tukhtiyeva - KAZ
F: Jin - CHINA

Second All Star Team:
N/M: Takahashi - JPN
D: Fujimoto - JPN
D: Aoki - JPN
F: Yoneyama - JPN

F: Yakovchuk - KAZ
F: Hirano - JPN

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

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. 

Day 1 - Kazakhstan

I got my prediction of the opening game 100% right, score and everything: Japan 10 South Korea 0.

But first, how can BMI fly direct to Almaty? At least twelve of the passangers, including legendary failed ski jumper Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, were headed the same place as me, the Asian Winter Games, and the flight was still really empty. How can that be viable for them? Still, having a whole row for each passenger made up for the food (bad) and the movies (on screens on the ceiling, not in the back of the seat)

The Social Network was the movie. But I didn't notice it had started and missed the opening scene, and given that the opening scene is probably pivotal, I think I will wait for the DVD. You know how I can't watch a movie if I miss the opening scene. Later someone said that the opening scene was amazing.

Also they showed some cartoons from CBBC. Amount of children on board: Zero.

On the plane they give you this:

At the airport, when you arrive, it gets stamped twice. If it's not stamped twice, we were told this morning "You will not be allowed to leave the country"
Mine is stamped twice.

Lunch was a cliche. Beetroot salad, 'Russian' soup. Meat, Potato and Cabbage. Ice Tea (not iced)

Japan skated all over Korea in the first game and stuffed them 10-0.

Then Kazakhstan played. I predticted a 12-0 win but was well wide of the mark. They beat North Korea 3-0. Really good game, really good atmosphere, North Korea not terrible. 

6 hours time difference from the UK. Body clock is messed up.