Medeo tour in the Small Almaty Gorge -
Ice skating at the Medeo Mountain skating rink -
Medeo is a sports complex located in the mountains near the city of Almaty at an altitude of 1,691 meters above sea level, in the picturesque mountain Small Almaty gorge through which the Malaya Almatinka River flows. The complex is famous for the fact that the Medeu alpine skating rink is located here in the open air, international competitions are held here, as well as the rink is open in winter for all those who like to skate. In the summer, music festivals and various sports events are held here. Next to the skating rink is the Medeu mud dam, there is a ladder on the dam that allows you to climb to the dam. The stairs are very popular, you can always meet people who play sports and climb up the stairs, on foot and running.
How to get there, visit -
The Medeo Sports Complex is located 20 kilometers from the city of Almaty, in the Small Almaty Mountain Gorge, Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 43°09'27"N 77°03'31"E
Information -
The Medeo sports complex was built in 1972, back in the USSR. Architects involved in the construction: V.Z. Katsev, A. S. Kaynarbayev, S. B. Matveev. and others (10 people in total). The area of the artificial skating rink is 10.5 thousand square meters, the width of the race track is 5 meters, the length of the circle (turn) is 400 meters. The middle part of the rink is designed for hockey and figure skating. The complex accommodates over 12 thousand spectators, inside the complex there are 2 swimming pools, a sports hall, a hotel, a dining room, a cinema hall, a library and a press center. More than 150 of the best sports records in the world were born at the Medeo rink. The last of the great championships held at Medeu was the 1988 International Men's Speed Skating Championships.
The illumination of the Medeu rink is provided by 1600 powerful floodlights mounted on 8 pedestals. More than 30 thousand black-and-white electronic displays associated with the photo finish can display 6 thousand different images in 1 minute. The thickness of artificial ice in winter is 10-15 cm. The Medeu sports complex includes the Medeu Hotel, there are single, double and luxury rooms, the hotel is designed for 376 people. On Saturday and Sunday in winter, the Medeu ice rink can accommodate about 9 thousand skating enthusiasts. The Medeu sports complex is not only a place for sports competitions, but also a place for citizens and guests of the city to relax in the picturesque nature. Since 1990, the traditional international song festival “Voice of Asia” has been held at Medeu.
The Medeu skating rink was opened in 1951, and in 1972 it was reconstructed, which made it possible to switch to artificial cooling of the track. The stadium was used as a home field by the Dynamo Alma-Ata hockey club, in 1974 and 1984 it hosted the European Women's Speed Skating Championship, in 1988 – the men's World Speed Skating Championship, in 2011 – the men's World Speed Skating Championship. The Asian Winter Games will also be held in 2012. There are also motorcycle races on an icy flat track.
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