Following the speed skating World Cup stages held from November 14 till December 14 in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, and Norway, Kazakhstan has secured 12 quotas in the sport, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The names of the athletes and the number of participants will be determined by the decision of the national team’s head coach. It is expected that approximately five athletes will represent Kazakhstan in speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Previously, two Kazakh figure skaters - Mikhail Shaidorov and Sofia Samodelkina - met the Olympic standard at the World Championships, securing two individual quotas in figure skating for the country. In addition, nine quotas were earned by domestic short track athletes, with the names selected by the coaching staff based on ranking results: Denis Nikisha, Abzal Azhgaliyev, Olga Tikhonova, and Yana Khan.
The final number of Olympic quotas will be confirmed by the end of January 2026.
The XXV Winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22, 2026, in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, with over 3,500 athletes from 93 countries participating.
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