The Asian Winter Games, hosted this time in Harbin, China, ended just a few days ago, and our Kazakh national team made us proud once more.

Kudos to our athletes.

So here's the summary: 20 medals (four gold, nice silver, and seven bronze medals!), fourth out of 34 countries behind only China, South Korea, and Japan. Our athletes excelled in various disciplines, including freestyle acrobatics, ice hockey, relay races, skating, and skiing.

Seeing 137 Kazakhs representing us so proudly on the international stage makes me proud to be Kazakhstani. This is how competitive we are and how important sports are for all of us.

Our biathletes Vladimir Kireyev and Vadim Kurales, winners in the Men's 10km Sprint, Ayana Zholdas, Olzhas Klimin, Mikhail Shaidorov, our cross-country skiing, speed skating, Kazakhstan's men's and women's hockey team with their gold and silver, our freestyle acrobatics athletes and all the rest teams have written their names in the sports history of our country—too many to mention!

As you know by now, sports are part of Kazakhstan's culture, reflected in discipline, cohesion, and resilience. They build up our youth and create values that go well beyond the arena.

Today, we congratulate our athletes, fly the Kazakh flag high, and show the world that what makes a nation great is its spirit and dedication. We celebrate you and welcome you back home.

*** This great picture of Sherzod Khashirbayev and Roman Ivanov was taken by Nurgali Jumagazy, Press Service, NOC Kazakhstan.