Baluan Sholak Sports Palace

Photo Credits: Elena Odareeva / Shutterstock.com

	Location	Almaty, Kazakhstan
	Venue Type	Indoor
	Capacity	5,000

Trivia

The building was named after Baluan Sholak (1864 – 1919), to pay tribute to the legendary Turkish composer, poet, singer, dombra player and wrestler who fought against injustice and helped the poor throughout his life.
This palace, along with Boris Alexandrov Sports Palace and Kazakhstan Sports Palace, forms the trio of sports palaces in Kazakhstan.

The Baluan Sholak Sports Palace is a comprehensive indoor sports venue, located in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. Built in 1967, this venue with its main and another small arena is perfect for several indoor events such as judo, handball, boxing, Ice-skating and volleyball games. Throughout the years, it has been a host to numerous world-class athletic competitions including the numerous Asian Games. It was opened with an impressive ice arena, facilities for making synthetic ice, medical and administrative spaces. The venue went through a large-scale renovation in between 2009-2011 in preparation for the 2011 Asian Winter Games. During this period, the seating capacity was increased to 5,000, and new medical and support facilities were added along with commentator booths and electronic displays. Live concerts and other entertainments events have also been hosted here at times.

Significance

The 2004 Asian Judo Championship events were hosted here on 15th and 16th May.
The Asian Women's Handball Championship was held here in 2010 and 2011 from 19th to 25th December and from 14th to 20th September, respectively.
The closing ceremony of 2011 Asian Winter Games was also held here.
The arena has also hosted the 2012 World Judo Masters Championship.
The building played host to the 2014 World Weightlifting Championship events starting on 8th November and spanning nine days.
Judo Grand Prix Almaty of 2013 and 2016 took place at the sports palace.

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