Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) (AFP) - Two weeks before he travels to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics to participate as the only alpine skier representing Kyrgyzstan, Timur Shakirov is making his way through the obstacles of his country's slalom course.

Published on: 12/02/2026 - 11:43

Although the country is considered one of the most mountainous countries in the world, weak infrastructure, scarcity of funding, and difficult snowy conditions, in addition to a sports culture that leans towards traditional Bedouin games, have prevented a significant number of people from this Central Asian country from emerging on the international scene of skiing.

"It is difficult to train in Kyrgyzstan, as we do not have the appropriate conditions or sufficient funding," the 19-year-old told AFP from a mountainside in Ala-Arga National Park, south of the capital, Bishkek.

The surrounding Tien Shan and Pamir mountain ranges, whose peaks rise to about 7,500 metres, hosted a regional competition that brought together athletes from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

In Milan, he will compete in the long slalom competition on the 14th of this month, before participating in the slalom race two days later, adding his name to about twenty Alpine skiers from Central Asia who have participated in the Winter Olympics since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"Very warm"

“It is a very expensive sport, so the belief that mountainous Kyrgyzstan can easily develop its alpine skiing is not true,” said Yulia Tinkova of the Kyrgyz Ski Federation.

Also, natural conditions represent another challenge, as the snow cover is too soft, which leads to bumps appearing on the tracks quickly after repeated slides.

She continued, "To master alpine skiing, you need a completely different snow cover," noting that "our climate is too warm, and (skiing) is considered a luxury."

According to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, temperatures in Central Asia have risen by about 1.5 degrees Celsius since 1991, twice the global average.

While some resorts have resorted to using artificial snow cannons, these solutions remain expensive.

This forces Central Asian skaters to train thousands of miles from home.

“We train mainly in Italy and Austria,” Shakirov said, noting his admiration for European skating stars such as Marcel Hirscher, Henrik Kristofferson and Marco Odermatt.

He explained that the time he spent in Europe contributed to the development of sports within his country. He added that his compatriot Maxim Gordeev, who participated in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, "came back with new methods from Europe and showed me how to train."

However, Shakirov generally regrets the weakness of government investments and the absence of tracks with international standards that could actually enhance the level of this sport locally.

-Finance problem-

The financial resources needed to enable professional and junior athletes to train abroad remain limited.

"Sometimes airline tickets are so expensive that we have to look for financing," Tinkova explained.

She added, "But the sponsors are hesitant, because our media presence is weak, unlike the wrestlers."

Wrestling has won a series of Olympic medals for Central Asian countries, making other more expensive sports feel excluded from the spotlight.

Even in Kazakhstan, the richest and most successful skiing country in the region, there are not sufficiently equipped slopes.

“Alpine skiing is developed in only two regions,” said skier Maria Grigorova, who represented Kazakhstan at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.

She, who currently works as a coach, added that Kazakhstan at one point considered stopping support for the alpine skiing program entirely because “the results were not good enough.”

She continued, "In recent years, we have been training with personal funding. We even reached the top 30 and top 20 lists. But what result do they always expect? First, second, or third place. That's all."

As for the skaters from Tajikistan, none of whom qualified for the Olympic Games, even participating in the Central Asian Cup is an achievement in itself.

However, ambitions remain high.

Tajik coach Said Akbar Ishunov said that he seeks to "bring skating in Tajikistan to a high level, as is the case in wrestling."

He expressed his hope that easing geopolitical tensions would contribute to promoting this sport.

For years, Tajik and Kyrgyz athletes did not even exchange congratulations in competitions, in light of a long border dispute between their countries.

But after signing a final agreement last year to settle the dispute, Ishonov is betting that strengthening cooperation will raise the level of opportunities throughout the region.

"We will try to cooperate with coaches from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to raise skating to the top," he said.

© 2026 AFP

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