AKIPRESS.COM - After Armenia and Georgia, the IOC President Thomas Bach completed a tour of the region with a visit to Almaty on a long planned trip to the city and on the invitation of the NOC of Kazakhstan, according to Olympic.org.

The President met with the NOC President Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov as well as the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arystanbek Muhamediuly. He also had a meeting with the Mayor of Almaty, Akhmetzhan Yessimov.

The President was able to discuss the country's sports plan and how sport has been integrated into the country's long term development plans.

He also toured the winter sports facilities in the region which has already hosted the Asian Winter Games in 2011 and a number of world championships and is planning to stage the Winter Universiade in 2017.

Many of the venues including the Medeo Alpine Ice Arena, Chymbulak Alpine ski resort, the ski jumping complex, and the biathlon and cross-country ski complex are part of Almaty’s bid to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC President also met Kazakh athletes and olympians and congratulated them on their recent successes in London 2012, Sochi 2014, Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games and in the recent Asian Games in Incheon.