Nur-Sultan, May 25, 2021 – The National Paralympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NPC) and Citibank Kazakhstan JSC (affiliated with Citigroup) announced the continuation of their partnership. Citi began supporting the Kazakhstan NPC in 2020, and the total funding will exceed $60,000 by 2022. Together they are helping develop Paralympic sports in Kazakhstan, change perceptions of people with disabilities and train Paralympians for the upcoming Paralympic Games in Tokyo and Beijing.

Alexander Gerlitz

Last year, the face of the partnership was Nurlan Dombaev, a two-time World and European champion, three-time Asian champion and currently the world’s highest ranked para-taekwondo fighter in his weight class. This year, Nurlan will be joined by a member of the national Paralympic cross-country skiing and biathlon team, the overall champion of Kazakhstan in Paralympic cross-country skiing and a participant in the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, Alexander Gerlitz.

According to Andrey Kurilin, Chairman of the Management Board of Citibank Kazakhstan JSC, “Citi is pleased to contribute to the development of Paralympic sports in our country and to help Nurlan and Alexander train for the Games. We value our partnership and are confident that it helps to change perceptions of people with disabilities."

Yerlan Suleimenov, Secretary General of the National Paralympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan spoke about the importance of supporting Kazakhstani Paralympic sports: “Citi supports Paralympic sports at the global level, and we highly value the support of a world-renowned company. For the second year now, we have been successfully working together to promote Paralympic sports in our country. Partnership definitely plays an important role in the development of an inclusive environment in Kazakhstan. Due to the pandemic, the Paralympic Games in Tokyo have been postponed, so the two major starts of the four-year period will be held six months apart. Thanks to Citi's support, we can ensure that our athletes get the best training."

Citi became a global partner of the International Paralympic Committee in 2018. Kazakhstan is the 22nd country of partnership. In addition to supporting the National Paralympic Committees, Citi also supports Team Citi, a group of 49 Para athletes, and has supported events such as the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, 2019 World Para Swimming Championships and other.

Editorial information:

The National Paralympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a non-profit non-governmental organization founded in 2002, which selects and sends Kazakhstani para athletes to international competitions held by international sports organizations, including the Paralympic Games. NPC Kazakhstan is a member of the International Paralympic Committee, the Asian Paralympic Committee, World ParaVolley, the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation and the International Blind Sports Federation.

Medet Baiken +77015559186, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Citibank Kazakhstan JSC, an affiliate of Citigroup, is one of Kazakhstan’s leading banks. We process a significant share of all corporate payments in the country. Since 1994, we helped the government and our clients raise tens of US$ billions at the equity and debt capital markets. www.citigroup.com