Sabina Altynbekova represents Kazakhstan at cultural exchange event in Vietnam

Kazakhstan’s volleyball player Sabina Altynbekova has taken part in a three-day cultural exchange event in Vietnam, Tengrinews reports.

The event including a fashion shows, singing, art and modeling competitions.

Sabina was invited as an honorable guest to represent Kazakhstan at a cultural exchange event that involved Vietnam, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

According to some media reports, Sabina went to Vietnam to sign a contract with a Vietnamese company and to defile in one of the events. But the mother of the young Kazakh volleyball player Nuripa Altynbekova refuted the rumours. “Participation in a defile is misleading information. Sabina will participate as an honorable guest of the forum. She is now in Vietnam along with her family on an invitation of Fashion House International Vietnam,” the girl’s mother said, “The forum is held annually in various countries and our country's representatives attend them to popularise Kazakhstan as a country that occupies a worthy place in the international community.”

According to her, this year the main aim of the event was to develop a tourism cluster and to support gifted kids and young people.

Organizers said that Sabina's participation in the event provided an opportunity to the forum’s participants and Vietnam to learn more about Kazakhstan.

Besides, since, according to Nuripa Altynbekova, Vietnamese authorities provided facilities for training to Sabina, she did not miss her trainings even in Vietnam.

The 17-year-old Kazakh athlete woke up famous after Chinese fans noticed her at the 17th Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship in the city of Taipei in mid July. She immediately became an Internet sensation because of her appearance. She looks very much like a character from Japanese anime.

Several companies, including Breeze Center shopping malls network offered the 17 y.o. Kazakh kawai to become their face. But, the young athlete has been turning down all the offers, because her dream is solely about volleyball.

Reporting by Roza Yesenkulova, writing by Assel Satubaldina