Medeu High-Mountain Sports Complex is located in the Medeu Valley near Almaty, Kazakhstan, at an elevation of approximately 1,691 metres above sea level. The outdoor skating venue has an ice surface of about 10,500 square metres and uses an extensive refrigeration system to maintain the ice.
The history of the rink dates back to the late 1940s, when construction began in 1949. The first official competitions were held in February 1951. The modern high-mountain sports complex, equipped with an artificial-ice system, was subsequently constructed and opened in 1972. The venue was named after Medeu Pusurmanov, a local landowner and philanthropist who established an aul in the area.
Medeu is internationally recognised as one of the world's largest and highest-altitude skating rinks. Its high-altitude location and specialised ice-making system have contributed to its long history of speed-skating competitions and world records. Major reconstruction projects were carried out in the early 2000s and again in 2008–09, while a further large-scale reconstruction began in 2025.
Trivia
Near the ice rink, there is a dam known as the Medeu Dam which was built in the late 90s. It protects the venue as well as the city from mud flows. Moreover, the viewpoints on the top of the dam provide an excellent view of the skating rink.
Originally, Medeu was a natural ice rink which was transformed into an artificial rink in 1972.
Significance
In between 1951-1980, the Medeu has seen several world records in speed skating of distances 500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, and 10000 m.
The stadium hosted its first competition on 4th February 1951.
In 2011, it hosted the Bandy tournament of Asian Winter Games.
The arena is the home for the bandy team Dynamo Alma-Ata. The team won the Soviet Championship in 1977 and 1990. The Dynamos also won the European Cup in 1978.
The stadium was the main arena for the 2012 Bandy World Championship. In the final game, Sweden won over Russia by 5-4.
The Medeu is also one of the best-known tourist spots in Kazakhstan. It is open throughout the year for the public where skating can be done both during the day and night.
The Medeu has been selected to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2017 Winter Universiade.
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