1,000 Top Students from Kazakhstan’s Universities to become 2017 WU Torchbearers

ALMATY – Today, 1 September, the official contest for the 28^th Winter Universiade torchbearers’ selection among students and youth of Kazakhstan started.

The first torchbearers of the 2017 Winter Universiade will be 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic champion and 2015 SU champion Dmitriy Balandin (swimming) and bronze medalist of the Rio games Dariga Shakimova. They will be among the first to carry the Torch of the Almaty Winter Universiade.

During a meeting in the office of the Winter Universiade Organizing Directorate, Dmitriy Balandin and Dariga Shakimova were given a certificate confirming their official appointment as ambassadors of the 28^th Winter Universiade 2017.

The Winter Universiade Organizing Directorate notes that not only Olympic athletes have the responsibility to be a torchbearer. The main requirement for the contest is to be a university student from the regions regardless the faculty. The torchbearers will be selected among the best students between ages 17 to 28. In total, there will be around 1,000 top students selected who have achievements in sport, science, culture, etc.

Anyone who wishes to take part in the contest can complete the participation form on the official webpage almaty2017.com. The selection and decision will be made by the selection committee in each region. The results of the contest will be announced on 16 December, 2016.

(Source: Almaty 2017 OC)