Medeo
2877533
204589247
2008-04-10T01:06:01Z
BernardTom
5388290
[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 204589023 by [[Special:Contributions/BernardTom|BernardTom]] ([[User talk:BernardTom|talk]])
[[Image:Medeo.jpg|thumb|300px|The view of the skating rink from the [[Medeu Dam]]]]
The '''Medeu''' ([[Kazakh]] Медеу, which would be more properly spelled ''Medew'' to suit the correct pronunciation), or '''Medeo''' (traditional {{lang-ru|Медео}}), outdoor [[speed skating]] rink is one of the most famous [[ice rink]]s in the world. It is located in a mountain valley (Medeu Valley, or the valley of Malaya Alma-Atinka River) on the south-eastern outskirts of [[Almaty]], [[Kazakhstan]]. It sits 1,691 metres above sea level and utilizes a sophisticated freezing and watering system to ensure the quality of the ice.
The [[Medeu Dam]], built in the late 1960s, stands immediately south of the skating rink, protecting it - and the city of Almaty itself - from potentially devastating [[mud flow]]s. Viewpoints on top of the dam provide great views of the stadium.
Medeu has seen many world records in all the speed skating distances from [[1951]] through the 1980s: 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m and the 10000 m. After the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in [[1991]], the costs to uphold the arena as a top speed skating rink have proved too costly for the independent [[Republic of Kazakhstan]]. The last great championship event on this ice rink was held in [[1988]] -- the Men's World Speed Skating Championship -- which was won by the American skater [[Eric Flaim]].
In the early 2000s, Medeo's future status as a competition rink is uncertain. However, it was proposed as the speed skating venue both for Almaty's unsuccessful bid for the [[2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Winter Olympic Games]] and the successful one for [[2011 Asian Winter Games]]. Kazakhstan government plans to renovate the facility in time for the 2011 games.<ref>[http://en.government.kz/site/news/082007/16 Kazakh Government discusses prep works for the winter Asian Games of 2011]</ref>
The rink has also been used as the general venue for the [[Voice of Asia]] music festival since the birth of the festival.
==External links==
{{commonscat|Medeu}}
*[http://www.almaty2014.kz/ Almaty's Bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games]
*[http://www.skateresults.com/rink/show/100/ Tournaments Held and World Records Set at Medeo]
<references/>
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Sports venues built in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Speedskating venues]]
[[Category:Music venues in Kazakhstan|Medeo]]
[[Category:Sport in Almaty]]
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[[kk:Медеу]]
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[[ru:Медео]]