Minister of Tourism and Sports Ermek Marzhikpayev met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Kazakhstan Didier Canesse. The meeting took place within the walls of the Headquarters for preparations for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

During the meeting, representatives of the two countries discussed the upcoming games, after which the Ambassador of France presented the official mascot of the Olympics and shared plans to create a mural in Astana dedicated to the upcoming games in Paris.

On the eve of the Olympic Games, in order to popularize the principles of Olympism, from 2022 the French side is holding a sports event - “Relay Around the World”. The Ministry annually supports this initiative and this year is also ready to assist in organizing the relay race, which is planned for March. The minister proposed to organize a drawing for a ticket to the Olympics in Paris as part of this event.

Along with this, athletes from the two countries take part in competitions at various levels and hold joint training camps. On February 2-6, 2024 in Paris, the Kazakhstan team won a bronze medal at the Grand Slam in judo. In turn, three-time Olympic champion, 12-time world champion, 5-time European champion, French judoka Teddy Riner took part in the joint training camp of the Kazakhstan team.

The minister expressed interest in establishing cooperation between the two countries in holding joint training camps at the Republican Olympic Training Base in the Almaty region.The head of the department also invited the French delegation and athletes to take part in the 5th World Nomad Games.
Ermek Marzhikpayev also noted that one of the priority areas of cooperation is tourism.

“France is one of the most attractive countries for tourists around the world. Numerous museums, medieval castles, and an amazing variety of natural landscapes will not leave any tourist indifferent. In turn, our country occupies a favorable geographical position. Specially protected natural areas occupy more than 10% of the country's territory. I can say with confidence that Kazakhstan has something to show the modern tourist. We are happy to welcome tourists from France and show the unique nature of our country,” said Ermek Marzhikpayev.

The minister proposed to further increase the tourist flow between Kazakhstan and France to consider the possibility of: launching direct flights and simplifying the procedure for issuing tourist visas to citizens of Kazakhstan.

At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador of France also expressed interest in cooperation between the two countries in the field of tourism and sports. Didier Canesse wished the athletes of Kazakhstan success at the Olympic Games in Paris.