In the International Curling Tournament held in the Chinese city of Yichun, a junior team from Kyrgyzstan participated. This was reported on the official website of the scientific-educational complex "Lomonosov School," which supports young athletes.
The competition gathered teams from different countries, including Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, and Russia. For the Kyrgyz curlers, this tournament was a significant event, as curling in the country is just beginning to develop, and the team itself consisted of schoolchildren studying at the "Lomonosov School" and part of the federation of this sport.
Aysuluu Duyshonbekova, a ninth-grader and one of the team members, has been curling for several years. She has already attended training camps in Turkey and now competed in China.
For me, being one of the first to engage in curling in our country is very important.
Aysuluu Duyshonbekova
According to her, participation in international tournaments helps assess the level of competition and find ways for further growth.
“We were able to see how other athletes perform and realized that we have something to strive for. Moreover, it is an opportunity to get acquainted with another culture and approach to sports,” Aysuluu added.
The head coach of the curling federation, Aibek Asanaliev, noted that this sport requires not only physical preparation but also strategic thinking.
Curling can be compared to chess on ice. It is not enough to simply throw stones well; one must be able to analyze the game and understand both their partners and opponents.
Aibek Asanaliev
Preparation for the tournament included theoretical classes, tactical analysis, and training camps in Turkey, where the team trained under the guidance of experienced specialists who had worked with Olympic teams.
Despite their young age and lack of infrastructure, the Kyrgyz team showed commendable results on the international stage, actively competing with more experienced opponents. Although the juniors did not take prize places at the tournament in Yichun, their participation was an important step and demonstrated the prospects for the development of curling in the country.
