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Burabike: How Bulat Utemuratov bridges sports and charity

Written by malenko on 5 October 2018. Posted in Articles.

It is for the sixth running year that the Foundation of Kazakhstani businessman and philanthropist Bulat Utemuratov has been purchasing equipment for children’s medical institutions for the money donated by participants and sponsors of the major charity bike ride in the country – Burabike. Let’s see how it all started and what results have been achieved in six years.

Shuchinsk-Borovoe resort zone

Traditionally Burabike is held in the Shuchinsk-Borovoe resort zone. Participants ride 30 kilometres across the Kokshetau Upland at the altitude of almost 500m and over the isthmus dividing Lakes Burabay and Bolshoe Chebachye. People call this place “Kazakhstani Switzerland”. In 1938 the Borovoe resort zone was recognized the second most beautiful among the USSR resorts at the New York International Exhibition. Philanthropist Bulat Utemuratov has a special bond with Borovoe. During his work at the President’s Administration, he was making active efforts for the development of the Shuchinsk-Borovoe resort zone, reconstruction of the Khan Ablay’s meadow, was creating the infrastructure of tourist centres, a nursery garden for the Burabay National Park and a Siberian red deer breeding farm. Thanks to Bulat Utemuratov, as long ago as 2012 the first five-star hotel Rixos Borovoe was opened in the Shuchinsk-Borovoe resort zone, and in 2013 the first mass sports event Burabike came up which was designed to attract attention to this tourist destination and to bear an important charity function. The bike ride was organised by Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation and Rixos Borovoe.

Burabike participants

For the six years, participants of the charity bike ride in Burabay included celebrities of various levels: politicians, sportsmen, prominent businessmen, public figures, but most importantly – caring and sportive people of Kazakhstan. The number of participants has increased eight times in these six years: if in 2013 there were 130 cyclists who covered the route, then in August 2018 as many as 2,300 people registered for the event, among them 841 – for the distance of 30 kilometres. The organisers even had to close the registration ahead the schedule because they registered the maximum possible number of participants. In 2018, the event initiator, Bulat Utemuratov, took the ride to support the charity initiative. He was accompanied by Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, Chairman of the Central Election Committee Berik Imashev, First Vice President of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation – businessman Rayimbek Batalov, New Zealand Honorary Consul in Kazakhstan – entrepreneur Nurlan Smagulov, and Chairman of the Board of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK) Bolat Zhamishev. The bike ride of 2018 was led by Alexey Lutsenko, the three-time champion of the Summer Asian Games in road cycling and the Astana Pro Team member. Lutsenko raced side by side with his fellow compatriot Alexander Vinokurov, the most renowned Kazakhstani bicycle racer who never misses the chance to take part in Burabike. “When they announced that I would come to Borovoe I have immediately agreed, though I have to be in Canada in a week for a race. So I am even taking a bit of the risk now, but I am very glad to be invited. It is a motivation support for me today, for the last half of the season”, – commented on his participation Alexey Lutsenko. Burabike is supported not only by Lutsenko and Vinokurov but also by the entire Astana Pro Team. In previous years the bike ride participants included Daniyar Yeleusinov, Ilya Ilyin, Serik Sapiyev, Comedy Club stars Marina Kravets and the Chekhov’s Duet. In addition to the Astana Pro Team, Bulat Utemuratov’s initiative was supported by: Akmola Oblast Akimat, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, Verny Capital group, companies Kazzinc, Beeline Kazakhstan, Altyntau Resources, Astana Property Management, BI Group, Vinci, Turner, Deloitte, Eurasian Group, banks Kassa Nova, Forte Bank, Temir Bank, Alliance Bank. In 2017, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly noted that the charity bike ride promoted development and popularisation of cycling sports in Kazakhstan and formation of sensitivity to children who needed medical treatment.

What charity effectiveness did Burabike already achieve?

The main purpose of setting up Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation was support and development of childhood. According to information provided by Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation, from 2013 through 2017 participants and sponsors of the Burabike charity ride have donated 471 mln tenge to equip children’s medical institutions, perinatal and rehabilitation centres, as well as orphanages in various regions of Kazakhstan. Contributions in 2018 amounted to over 205 mln tenge and exceeded the 2013 contributions in almost 18 times.

The bike ride organisers raise funds in three ways:

Individual contributions by participants;
Corporate contributions by sponsor companies;
Funds received from the charity auction where the auction items are donated by sports associations and famed sportsmen.

Reports on the funds raised are published and are publicly available on the Foundation’s website. The Foundation has yet to publish the 2018 report, but the Foundation Director said in the course of the event that the bike ride has raised over 60 mln tenge at the expense of corporate contributions only.

The 2018 auction items included:

boxing gloves of Gennady Golovkin with his signature;
Astana Pro Team exclusive bicycle;
rackets of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Zarina Diyas (Nadal’s racket was sold for 17 mln tenge);
T-shirt with Pele’s signature;
paintings by children studying at Assyl Miras centres;
special edition of “Otan Ana” album by Batyrkhan Shukenov.

For the six years of this charity bike ride, assistance was rendered to 15 children’s institutions in the Akmola and Kzylorda Oblasts. Funds raised in 2018 will allow the Foundation to expand the geography of its beneficiaries and thus the essential equipment will be sent to:

Merke Central District Hospital (Zhambyl Oblast)
Central District Hospital of Timiryazevo (North Kazakhstan Oblast);
Maternity Home in Panfilovo village;
Alakol Central District Hospital (Almaty Oblast);
Agadyr Rural Hospital (Karaganda Oblast).

Burabike: A race for the common good

Written by bulat on 11 April 2018. Posted in Articles.

Burabike: A race for the common good The charity cycling ride Burabike has turned 5 years. We are telling the success story of the action which annually rallies people in “Kazakhstani Switzerland”. What is Burabike? The Burabike charity bike ride is inspired by businessman and philanthropist Bulat Utemuratov. The philanthropist has been the patron of the project for six years now with a purpose of providing children’s medical institutions with equipment which is vitally important for children’s health. Besides, the project is aimed at popularisation of the culture of charity, ecotourism and healthy lifestyle. How did it all begin? The charity bike ride has been run from 2013. The purpose of the first action was charity collection to help newborn babies in the Akmola Oblast. The initiative was joined by the “Ayala” Charity Foundation. Alexander Vinokurov, the Olympic champion of 2012, also took part in the bike ride. Since then, he has been supporting the action every year. “This is a noble calling, so many participants who can cycle together – from businessmen to ordinary people. It is a good event, especially as it is held in such a picturesque place as Burabay,” – the athlete noted. The first charity bike ride in Borovoye has raised 11.5 million tenge. The money was used to equip the intensive care unit in the perinatal centre of Kokshetau. In 2014, the project got a permanent social partner – Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation. The main goal of the Foundation is the development of children’s health care. The founder, businessman and public figure, the President of the Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan, Bulat Utemuratov believes that the interests of a child should be in the priority for the society development. The Foundation identifies three main areas of activity: health, culture and education – which have the greatest impact on the formation of a personality and the quality of life of a child, and hence – of a society. “We are glad that this initiative annually attracts more and more like-minded people. Children are the future of Kazakhstan, therefore all our activities are aimed at educating and helping them”, – Director of the Foundation, Marat Aitmagambetov, commented. What are the project achievements? For five years, 463.5 million tenge were collected. All funds were donated to children’s hospitals, perinatal and rehabilitation centres, as well as to orphanages. Thanks to the action, medical institutions throughout Kazakhstan received the required technical, rehabilitation and medical equipment. “Our intensive care unit received some unique and very expensive equipment, the money for which was collected by the very participants of the bike ride. The equipment purchased thanks to bicycle rides helped save the lives of more than 70 newborns. The organisers approached us again to offer help. We indeed need more equipment for the pediatric building. When we will have received it, the centre will be able to accommodate patients even from the most remote corners of the Akmola Oblast,” says Natalia Tsyplakova, Deputy Chief Doctor for Childhood, Akmola Oblast Perinatal Centre. Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation donated the required medical equipment for newborn babies of the Kzylorda Oblast. The oblast perinatal centre was given two Atom Transcapsule V-808 transport incubators for the amount of 48,300,000 tenge. Humidicribs provide reliable protection of newborns, especially of premature babies, from the impact of the environment; create the necessary microenvironment for preserving life and further growth and development of a child during transportation to the hospital. “The birth rate in the region has always been higher than the republican average (26.06 against 22.72 for the Republic of Kazakhstan), however, at the same time infant mortality remains quite high. For 7 months of 2016, 79 children needed urgent help from neonatologists. Out of them, 62 babies were transported to the oblast perinatal centre, 17 – were left in district hospitals of necessity and 10 of those died. The purchase of incubators will minimize the number of perished newborns,” – Akmaral Alnazarova, Head of the Public Health Department, Kyzylorda Oblast, emphasised. In 2017, the bike ride gathered a record number of visitors – 1,500 people. 718 participants covered a 30-kilometer distance. There are no age restrictions for the event; the main thing is to be athletically fit. Most of the proceeds are secured by an auction where in various years personal belongings of the world and Kazakhstani sports stars were exhibited: jerseys and bicycles of Alexander Vinokurov and Vincenzo Nibali, Gennady Golovkin’s gloves, Rafael Nadal’s racket, Fabio Aru’s super light bicycle, Olympic champion Dmitry Balandin’s T-shirt. The total amount of donations collected at the Charity Tour de Burabay since 2013 has grown almost 14 times. The total revenue of the last auction was 102,900,000 tenge, the fair of children’s paintings collected 684,000 tenge, corporate and individual contributions exceeded 30,416,000, donations of philanthropists amounted to 26,000,000 tenge, the organisers told. Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation used the proceeds to purchase medical equipment for the Petropavlovsk Children’s Oblast Hospital, the Taldykorgan Oblast Perinatal Centre, the Uralsk Oblast Children’s Multi-Profile Hospital, the Aktobe Oblast Children’s Clinical Hospital, and the West Kazakhstan Oblast Public Association for Disabled Children “Baiterek”. Who is supporting Burabike? For the five years of its existence, thousands of Kazakhstanis participated in the bike ride, including eminent sportsmen, businessmen and state figures. For example, Olympic champion Alexander Vinokurov comes to Borovoye every year and covers the distances together with the Astana Pro Team. In 2014, the second charity bike ride was joined by the winner of the Tour de France 2014, Vincenzo Nibali. Participants included legend of the world weightlifting Ilya Ilyin, the President of the “Astana” Professional Sports Club, Olympic champion in cross-country skiing Vladimir Smirnov, Olympic champion Daniyar Yeleusinov, tennis player Galina Voskoboyeva, Vice-President of the Cycling Federation of Kazakhstan Raimbek Batalov, head of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan Bolat Zhamishev. The jubilee bike ride in 2017 was headed by the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, who has been taking part in the event since 2015.