USIC International Alpine Skiing Championship kicks off at Shymbulak in Almaty

The International Alpine Skiing Championship among railway employees has kicked off at Shymbulak mountain resort in Almaty on February 24, 2014, Tengrinews reports citing the press-service of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Kazakhstan's national railway operator. The 19th International Alpine Skiing Championship of the International Railways Sports Association (USIC) is held under the aegis of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy in Kazakhstan. It will continue until March 1, 2014. 4 women's teams and 9 men's teams from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan are participating in the competition. "The railways sports union, established at the 2nd European Railway Athletes Congress in Florence in 1947, has a goal to encourage amateur sports among railway employees in different countries in the spirit of the industry's sports fellowship and promote healthy lifestyle among the people who are during this hard and responsible job," the company's message says. USIC is an international umbrella organization for national railway associations. It organises international sports events and expressly supports humane sporting activities free from manipulation and drugs and recognises national and international anti-doping rules, in particular the World Anti Doping Code (WADA). At present time the organization includes 25 national associations from almost the entire Europe as well as India, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Kazakhstan joined the USIC in 2010. Kazakhstan railway athletes have already won awards at many international and national competitions.