2017 Almaty Site Visit Report

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Site Visit Report

Almaty, Kazakhstan January 29 – February 8, 2017 2017 WINTER UNIVERSIADE Site Visit Report Almaty, Kazakhstan September 2016

Table of Contents General Information ...... 3 Pre-Arrival Information ...... 6 Finances ...... 11 Accommodations & Meals ...... 13 Local Transportation ...... 17 Organization Committee Volunteers ...... 20 Media Services...... 22 Medical Service & Doping Control ...... 24 Security ...... 26 Sport Technical...... 28 Ticketing and Ceremonies ...... 35

General Information

About Almaty, Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan is a young country that gained independence on December 16, 1991. Its capital city is Astana and the official language of Kazakhstan is Kazakh. The Russian language has the status of language of interethnic communication. The population of Kazakhstan exceeds 17 million people. The ethnic structure is as follows: Kazakhs - 63.07%, Russian - 23.7%, Uzbeks - 2.85%, Ukrainians - 2.08%, Uighurs - 1.4%, Tatars - 1.28%, Germans - 1.11% and other - 4.51%.

Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of 1,703,481 people, containing 9% of the country's total population. A third of its population is 30 years old or younger and Almaty means ‘city of apple trees’. The city is in the mountainous area of southern Kazakhstan in the foothills of the trans-lli Ala-Tau at an elevation of 2,300–3,000 feet (700–900 m).

Emergency Numbers The local emergency numbers are: - Fire – 101 - Police – 102 - Ambulance – 103 - Gas leak – 104 - Rescue – 112 or 051 Team Canada will also have an established emergency number +77472548685

Team Canada will be using Tele4 as the wireless carrier for team leaders and Mission Staff. Prices are quite reasonable if users have unlocked devices. SIM cards can be acquired on site in Almaty. Unlimited plans cost approx. 1200 Tenge.

Embassy of Canada, Astana, Kazakhstan Address: Kabanbay Batyr Street 13/1, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan Tel: 7 (7172) 475 577 Emergency number to Ottawa: 613-996-8885 (free collect call) Fax: 7 (7172) 475 587 E-Mail: [email protected] Internet: www.kazakhstan.gc.ca

Phoning Kazakhstan Canada to Kazakhstan: Dial 011 + 7 + 727 (Almaty regional code) + 7-digit phone number Kazakhstan to Canada: from a landline dial 8 + 10 + 1 + 10-digit phone number from a cell phone use (+) sign or 00 + 1 + 10-digit phone number

Weather & Climate in January and February The climate in Almaty is a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. It is characterized by the influence of mountain-valley circulation. This is especially evident in the northern part of the city, located directly in the transition zone of the mountain slopes to the plains.  Average low: -8.5°C;  Average high: 1.5°C;  Daytime average: 4°C

Banks & Currency The currency used in Kazakhstan is the Kazakhstan Tenge. The exchange rate as of Aug 30, 2016 is approximately:  $1 CND = 255 Tenge Cash and most major credit cards are accepted for payment of goods and services in Kazakhstan. It is quite difficult to acquire Tenge outside of Kazakhstan. There are many locations in Kazakhstan where Tenge can be bought from US Dollars or Euros. There is a currency exchange booth at the Almaty airport. Most bank machines also accept Canadian debt cards.

Electricity In Kazakhstan, electricity is distributed at 220V. Standard European type double-ended plugs (Type C and F) are used. Please ensure that all electrical appliances will accept 220V.

Water Drinking tap water is not advised, as we are not aware of the safety of tap water in Almaty. Drinking bottled, boiled water or carbonated drinks is recommended.

Time Zone Almaty is located in the UTC+ 6-time zone and doesn’t adjust for daylight savings, meaning an 11-hour time difference from the Eastern Time zone in Canada and a 14-hour time difference from the Pacific Time zone in Canada.

Pre-Arrival Information

Visas: Visas are required for entering Kazakhstan. Visas will be free of charge for all Universiade participants. However, the Government of Republic of Kazakhstan is currently reviewing options for the simplification or liberation of the need for visas for all participants of Winter Universiade 2017. Beginning January 1, 2017, all Canadians travelling to Kazakhstan (for tourist/business purposes) should not require a visa. This will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Vaccinations: U Sports urges all participants to ensure that their standard immunization profile is up to date and that all supplementary vaccines are updated at least 4-6 weeks before departure to Kazakhstan. The recommended vaccines are: Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis, Measles, Hepatitis A and B, Varicella vaccine, Meningococcal disease/Meningitis, and Typhoid.

Medication: U Sports strongly urges all participants to bring with them to Almaty sufficient medication for any current medical condition. Availability of certain medications in Almaty may be limited. The Winter Universiade 2017 Organizing Committee strongly recommends having the prescription for all medicines for personal use, ready for presentation to the Republic of Kazakhstan authorities, should it be required to reduce any unnecessary delays.

Health Insurance: U Sports policy requires that each Universiade participant have out of country medical insurance while participating at the Games

Importing Fire Arms and Ammunitions: Delegations must send the official document to the OC with passport data of the person responsible for all teams riles and ammunitions (including types, models and serial numbers of riles, amount, types and calibers of ammunition). When the OC receives a scan copy of completely and correctly filled in forms (deadline – December 29th) by e-mail, the OC presents them to KAZ Police to obtain the permission for import/export and also for internal security registration procedures at the Police station. After this, all the documents will be sent to all indicated Almaty «Border Control Stations» where Delegations intend to enter into KAZ so that passing the custom control verification will be easier and the documents will be stamped upon entry.

The responsible person (athlete, coach, HOD) must have a copy of the sealed permission when crossing the border (both during arrival and departure). After a successful check at customs control, riles will be delivered to the AV storage room and ammunitions will be delivered to the Ala-Tau storage room. Depending on the volume of the Games participants’ arrival, ammunitions will be delivered directly to the ammunition storage room in the Ala-Tau Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon Complex twice a day accompanied by police. **Arrival and departure of athletes with firearms have to implement through Almaty international airport only.

Entry Information: All participants must submit to U Sports no later than Friday, December 16th, 2016 the following information:

Information Athletes Staff Mission Comments Required Team Canada Athletes Staff Mission Submit through ZeusCAN (Personal Details) Entry Form Team Submit through ZeusCAN (Team Athletes Staff Mission Agreement Agreements) FISU Signed and sealed by School Registrar – Academic Athletes – – Original, hardcopy Eligibility Form Submit by mail Passport must be valid 6 months beyond the Copy of date of departure from Almaty (August 15th, Picture Page Athletes Staff Mission 2017) of Passport Submit through ZeusCAN Format: JPEG Resolution: minimum 420 x 525 pixels Headshot Athletes Staff Mission Size: under 512 Kb Photograph Background: plain white Submit through ZeusCAN GEMS.pro – Medical Athletes Staff Mission Submit through GEMS.pro Questionnaire Fees Athletes Staff –

The required documents and forms are available on the Canadian Winter Universiade website – Team Member Information Section: http://en.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2017/files/team_memb_info

2017 Winter Universiade Brand:

The basic element of the 2017 Almaty Universiade brand is wings. The slogan is Spread your Wings! The mascot is a young falcon named Sunkar who symbolizes speed, flight, lightness, energy and a thirst for victory – precisely the qualities that are inherent in young athletes.

Travel

International All delegation members are required to cover their own cost of travel to and from the official Universiade point of entry:

 Almaty International Airport (airport code ALA)

Almaty International Airport is located approximately 15 km outside of the centre of Almaty and 31.9 km from the Athletes’ Village. It takes approximately 30 minutes from Almaty International Airport to the Athletes’ Village. The OC will arrange a transfer to the Athletes’ Village according to the flight schedules. All participants will be transported free of charge.

Upon Arrival The Winter Universiade participants will be met by the OC staff and volunteers with welcoming signs according to the clients’ groups at Almaty Airport near the passport control booths. The OC will accompany the Winter Universiade participants through passport control booths, luggage claim and customs control zone. Almaty International Airport includes 24 passport control cabins which operate 24 hours. 5 passport control cabins (on the left side of arrival terminal) and 2 baggage carousels will be provided for the Winter Universiade participants.

Migration Cards 1. Participants must fill in the migration cards that they get on board. 2. Participants must keep the migration card until their departure from Kazakhstan. Excess Baggage Each Canadian Universiade participant is responsible for his or her own excess baggage expenses.

Luggage Tags Luggage tags will be provided to each participant prior to departure and must be used for distribution of luggage at the Athlete Village.

Finances

Accommodation Fee The accommodation fee for Universiade participants is 40 Euro per person per night. This includes accommodations, three meals daily and all local transportation, including airport transfers. This fee must be paid to U Sports for each participant no later December 16, 2016, unless payment by invoice has been pre- arranged with U Sports.

Travel Cost Each sport is required to fund 100% of its own travel costs to the Winter Universiade. Travel does not need to be booked through U Sports but copies of your travel itineraries must be provided to U Sports no later than December 16, 2016 (through the ZeusCAN Team Canada Entry Form).

U Sports Participation Fee The U Sports participation fee is:  $850 per U Sports affiliated participant  $950 per non-U Sports affiliated participant This fee includes full mission support, medical support, FISU entries fees, official non-competition team uniform, special events and general International Programs overhead costs.

Referee Fees Sport delegations competing in the following sports must participate in covering the cost of international judges or referees to attend the Universiade:

Sport Payment

Figure skating 300 EUR/athlete

Ice hockey M 3000 EUR/team

Ice hockey W 3000 EUR/team

Short track speed skating 100 EUR/athlete

Ski jumping & Nordic combined 100 EUR/athlete

Speed skating 100 EUR/athlete

Accommodations & Meals

Accommodation & Meals

Dates All accommodations and services are officially open to Canadian athletes and coaches on January 25th, 2017 and close on February 9th, 2017. Teams cannot arrive prior to January 25th, 2017 and must depart by February 9th, 2017 (or within 36 hours of their final competition, whichever is sooner).  Opening ceremonies: January 29th 2017  Closing ceremonies: February 8th 2017

Athlete Village Athletes’ Village consists of 14 buildings and 3 blocks placed in the form of the letter U with a capacity of 5,000. It has a universal square in the middle of the village and a dining room for 800 people.

The Athletes’ Village is not only the residential area for athletes, but also the main center of all services and entertainment. Various facilities are provided for the athletes: medical centers, ice machines, free Wi-Fi, a swimming pool in the fitness center, a supermarket, a religious center, a library, a bank and ATM, a beauty salon, laundry rooms, a barbershop, lower markets as well as shops that will sell exclusive Winter Universiade products in the Athletes’ Village.

The list of provided furnishings for each room is as follows:  Rooms for athletes and officials

Inventory Quantity Note Bed and bed-linen Set 1 set per resident Desk 1 Chair 1 Mirror 1 Hand towel 1 per resident Face towel 1 per resident Bath towel 1 per resident Safety deposit box 1 1 per room

Meals All meals must be consumed in the dining hall.  Hours of operations: o Breakfast 05:00 – 10:00 o Lunch 12:00 – 15:00 o Dinner 17:00 – 20:00 o Light snacks will be provided between 20:00 – 22:00 o Late dinner 22:00 – 00:00

7-day rotating menu including 5 cuisines: o European/Mediterranean o Asian o Kazakh/local o Vegetarian o Halal

*It is prohibited to bring in or take-out food to/from the Dining Hall **Bottled water can be taken out as an exception.

Lunch Boxes Lunch boxes, for lunch or dinner, can be requested when athletes or delegation officials are not able to use the Athletes’ Village dining hall because of afternoon events or games. These must be requested no later than 6:00pm the day prior and teams are requested to order lunch boxes for any Team Canada medical staff that will be traveling with them that day.

Outside Food Food products can be brought into athletes’ village with the following condition: food products should be packed hermetically with the mentioned date of producing, expiry date, country of origin and ingredients.

Damages Any expenses incurred by U Sports for damage or lost keys will be invoiced back to the individuals residing in said room.

Wireless Internet Unlimited 60 MBs per second Internet connection will be provided throughout the entire AV.

Laundry Every room of the Residential Buildings has a washing machine which can be used free of charge for personal laundry.

Housekeeping Services All accommodation facilities will be maintained properly through regular housekeeping services as per below:  Bed making, dusting, garbage removal, toilet cleaning, etc.;  General cleaning and beddings change every 2 days;  The set of towels will be changed three times per week.

Facilities and Services  Police Office  Entertainment Centre  Religious Center  Rifles, Storage And Dry Shooting Room  Waxing Cabins  Delegation/Team Meeting Rooms  Bank and ATM  Medical Center  Doping Control  Fitness Centre  Supermarket  Internet Café  Beauty Salon  OC Offices  Museum

Storage Room and Waxing Cabins The buildings where the athletes will meet their waxing requirements will also be used as a storage rooms for the delegations’ skis, snowboard and equipment. There will be one coordinator at wax cabins who will be responsible for keys carriage. Athletes who want to use wax cabins will wax their skis by themselves. Once waxing procedure is finished, athletes will report to the coordinator who will ensure that all doors are closed.  Operating period: January 24th – February 8th, 2017  Operating hours: 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Local Transportation

The Organizing Committee will guarantee all transportation services for all accredited individuals. The transportation services will cover most venues and the Athletes’ Village with direct lines from the Athletes’ Village to competition or training sites as well as official entry points to Almaty.

Transportation Information Desks During the Winter Universiade, Transportation Information Desks will be in operation for each group of participants at the athletes’ village, sport and training venues, and points of arrival and departure.

Individual Sports Shuttle buses provided for delegations and officials of individual sports will run on fixed routes. All delegations and officials are free to use shuttles regardless of country or sport. Buses will depart from the AV bus station based on the timetable approved by FISU.

Team Sports A team bus (50 seats) will be allocated per team participating in ice hockey for their exclusive use to and from scheduled training and competition. The schedule of the team buses will be arranged through a team attaché.

Spectating Athletes Services: Athletes and officials wishing to watch sporting events can take regular buses that will transport individuals on the shuttle system from the Transportation Mall to the Venues. Vehicles will run every 30 minutes during the competitions held between the Athletes’ Village and the sport venues.

Delegation Vehicles Several small vehicles will be provided to each delegation based on final team sizes. These will be prioritized to ensure Medical and Mission Staff can adequately perform team services. These are not used as delegation taxis, as the drivers will have limited hours of operation.

Distance and Travel Times An outline of the travel distances between the venues is provided in the Sport Technical section of this report. It should be noted that travel times are just an estimate as Almaty is quite congested. Participants should consider traffic and plan to arrive at venues early.

Ceremonies Transportation During the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletes and officials will travel from the Athletes’ Village to the Ice Palace (12,000 seats) on foot, as the distance between the two venues is 300 meters away and takes about 3 minutes to walk. Back-up transportation will also be provided on request.

Transportation of rifles between Athletes’ Village and Ala-Tau 1. Rifles are transported in soft cover by the athletes themselves in a special escorted bus. 2. A dedicated Rifle Control Station will be controlling each athlete’s rifle when leaving the Biathlon Stadium. No bus will leave from the BT Venue if not all the rifles on the bus have been properly checked. 3. When the athletes are back to the AV they must directly go to deposit the rifles.

Ammunition deposit & pickup 1. Only coach/team representatives can deposit and pick up the ammunition under signature. 2. The coach/team representative tells the controller in the ammunitions storage room the country that he represents and the safe number. 3. The coach/team representative gets the key from the team safe and takes the necessary amount of ammunition for the competition/training under signature.

Organization Committee Volunteers

Delegation Volunteers Canada will be assigned approximately 3 Kazakh/Russian/English speaking volunteers (attachés). These attachés will be distributed amongst the sports and mission staff in order to support the Canadian delegation’s activities. Attachés’ working hours are 8 hours. Attachés’ working hours may change depending on the schedule of delegation’s training sessions, competitions, and social events.

Team Sport Volunteer An additional attaché with relevant knowledge or skills of the certain sport will be allocated to each team sport. Team sport attachés will be introduced at the Athletes’ Village with the Delegations attaché, right after arrival of the delegation at the AV.

The volunteers provided to the Canadian delegation should be looked upon as an extension of the Canadian delegation at the Universiade. Every effort should be made to treat these individuals with the utmost respect.

Media Services

The Media and Communications Department provides services for the media representatives including meeting them at the airport and assisting them with the hotel accommodation. In addition, the department organizes transportation between the press offices, the MPC and hotels.

Media Accreditation: Media Accreditation Forms can be found on the official website almaty2017.com and online registration will begin in October, 2016.

The Media Accreditation Centre will open from January 10th until February 8th from 08.00 am to 10.00 p.m.

Main Press Centre The Main Press Centre will be located in Almaty Towers. The Main Press Centre will start operating 4 days before the Opening Ceremony (January 25th, 2017), and stop operating 24 hours after the Closing Ceremony (February 9, 2017).

Media Transportation There will be 2 different regular scheduled shuttled buses for Mass Media: •Regular shuttle buses between the media hotels and the MMC (Main Media Centre); •Regular shuttle buses between the MPC (Main Press Centre), IBC (Almaty Towers) and sport venues;

The schedule of the Media’s shuttle busses will be available in the Transportation Guide

Medical Service & Doping Control

Medical Services Medical services will be provided free of charge by the Organizing Committee to all accredited individuals at all competition venues and official training venues. Medical stations will be set up to provide first aid and hospital transfers. An ambulance will be available at all competition and training venues. The Universiade Medical Services will not cover medical expenses incurred by services irrelevant to the games. Hospitals within close proximity to competition and support venues have been designated to the Universiade. A total of 8 hospitals have been assigned to this event.

Doping Control Doping Control will be carried out in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Regulations of FISU and will be available at all competition venues. In accordance with the preliminary Test Distribution Plan elaborated by the FISU International Medical Committee (FISU CMI), the required number of urine and blood tests will be collected both during and out of competition. Athletes may be tested at any time during the period of Winter Universiade.

Therapeutic Use Exemptions All student-athletes requiring or currently holding a therapeutic exemption for a banned substance must ensure that the exemption is filed with the Canadian Center for Ethic in Sport and approved prior to their arrival on-site in Kazakhstan.

Medical Insurance All delegation members are required to travel with comprehensive out of country medical insurance.

Map of Almaty Hospitals

Security

The Organizing Committee establishes comprehensive safety measures in cooperation with government agencies.

Security in Athletes’ Village In order to ensure the safety of the Athletes’ Village, a wall of fences has been set up to block off trespassers and to protect delegations from any outside threats. Access controls will be operated with security personnel positioned at the Residential Area and the International Area. X-ray scanners and metal detectors will be installed at each gate, and every person and item of belongings will be checked upon entry.

Security in Sport Venues The main objective within a sport venue is to maintain the athletes’ privacy and safety and guarantee the smooth execution of events. This will be achieved through strict control of Accreditation cards and scanning of individuals at all main entrances and within all stadiums and venues.

Sport Technical

Competition Venues* *only those sports with Canadian participants are outlined below

Alpine Skiing, Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing

Shymbulak Ski Resort

Distance from AV: 35.4 km (plus gondola ride)

Total length of skiing: 6,000 m

Ice Hockey W and Short Track Speed Skating

Baluan Sholak Sports Palace

Distance from AV: 12.7 km

Seating capacity: 5,000 seats

Ice Hockey M

Halyk arena

Distance from AV: 18.5 km

Seating capacity: 3,000 seats

Curling and Figure Skating

Almaty Arena

Distance from AV: 700 m

475 seats (curling) Seating capacity: 12,000 seats (figure skating)

Biathlon and Cross Country Skiing

Alatau Stadium

Distance from AV: 50.5 km

2,600 standing Seating capacity: 3,600 seating

Sport Venues Map:

Distance and Travel Times:

Competition schedule:

Training venues:

Alpine Skiing Trainings possibilities in «Shymbulak» Ski Resort on the upper slopes only, starts from the 25th of January 2017. Biathlon Training possibilities in «Alatau» Cross-Country Skiing & Biathlon Complex – skiing starts on the 25th of January 2017, combined with shooting that starts on the 29th of January Cross Country Skiing Training possibilities in «Alatau» Cross-Country Skiing & Biathlon Complex starts on the 25th of January 2017. Curling Training possibilities in the Ice Palace: Curling Arena starts on the 29th of January 2017. Figure Skating Training possibilities for unofficial training in the ice rink «Rakhimzhan» starts on the 28th of January to the 2nd of February 2017. Ice Hockey Men Training possibilities in the Halyk Arena starts on the 25th of January 2017. Ice Hockey Women Training possibilities in the «Baluan Sholak» Ice Hockey Arena starts on the 25th of January 2017. Short Track Training possibilities in the «Baulan Sholak» Short Track Speed Skating Arena starts on the 2nd of February 2017. Snowboard Trainings possibilities in «Shymulak» Ski Resort on the upper slopes only, starts on the 25th of January 2017.

Training Request: For all training requests outside of official training times, teams are asked to contact U Sports immediately to outline their needs.

Technical Manual: English Technical Manuals will be available prior to the Universiade. They will be distributed electronically through U Sports once made available and hard copies will be available on-site upon arrival.

Ticketing and Ceremonies

Ticketing Tickets may be purchased through http://www.fisutickets.com/en/.

Ceremonies Several ceremonies will take place throughout the duration of the Universiade:  Delegation Welcome Ceremony: Once the delegation arrives, the Organizing Committee will officially raise that country’s flag and welcome them to the Universiade. The ceremony lasts 20 minutes and includes the official and cultural parts of the program: national performances, the speech of the Mayor of the Athletes’ Village, invitation of Head of Delegations, exchange of gifts between the Head of the Delegation and the Mayor of Athletes’ Village, raising flags of participating countries and group photos.  Opening Ceremonies: The Opening Ceremonies will take place in Almaty at the Ice Palace on January 29th, 2017 at 7:00pm. It will last approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes.  Closing Ceremonies: The Closing Ceremonies will take place in Almaty at the Ice Palace on February 8th, 2017 at 7:00pm. It will last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Flower Presentation Ceremony: For snow sports (except for ski jumping) and for speed skating competitions, a flower ceremony will be held at the same venue 5 minutes after the completion of each competition.  Medal Award Ceremony: Award ceremonies are separated according to ice sports and snow sports. In ice sports, award ceremonies will be held at the venues immediately following the competition. In snow sports, award ceremonies will take place the evening of the competition in the Medal Plaza which is approximately 14 km from Athletes’ Village.