At the meeting of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan chaired by the Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, reported on the preparations for the XXIII Winter Olympic Games which is to be held in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Over 5000 athletes and officials from more than 80 countries are expected to attend the upcoming Winter Olympics. There are 102 sets of medals in 15 sports. The sports delegation of Kazakhstan plans to take part in nine sports: biathlon, figure skating, downhill skiing, short track, speed skating, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, freestyle (acrobatics, moguls).

At present, Kazakhstan already has 13 licenses for two sports (biathlon ­– 10, figure skating – 3). In order to win licenses in 2017-2018 season, the Kazakhstan national team for winter sports will participate in international qualifying competitions according to the international sports calendar.

"The formation of the country's Olympic team will continue until January next year, taking into account the level of physical fitness of athletes, psychological stability, the results of the final qualifying stage and anti-doping control," A. Mukhamediuly said.

Bakytzhan Sagintayev instructed the leadership of the Ministry of Culture and Sports to conduct a qualitative preparation for the Winter Olympics in the remaining days.