The 2011 Asian Winter Games was a multi-sport event that was held in Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan, that began on January 30, 2011, and ended on February 6, 2011. It was the first time that Kazakhstan hosted such a large event since independence from the Soviet Union. The documents for the hosting city were signed in Kuwait on March 4, 2006.
Hilde Gjermundshaug Pedersen is a Norwegian cross-country skier. Her first Olympic medal was a silver 4 × 5 km relay at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, she took the bronze medal in the 10 km classical interval start event. Pedersen is the oldest woman ever to win a cross country skiing World Cup race, which she did at age 41 in January 2006 in Otepää, Estonia.
Øystein Kvaal Østerbø is a Norwegian orienteering and ski-orienteering competitor. He finished overall third in the Orienteering World Cup in 2004, and won a silver medal in the relay in the 2004 World Ski Orienteering Championships. He has competed in all fifteen World Orienteering Championships since his debut in 2004 until 2018, obtaining his first two medals in Inverness in 2015; in the relay and mixed sprint relay, respectively. His best individual achievements are fourth places in the sprint in 2005 and 2010.
Eduard Alexandrovich Khrennikov is a Russian ski-orienteering competitor and world champion, and three times winner of the overall World cup. He received a gold medal in the long course at the 2004, 2005 and 2007 World Ski Orienteering Championships, in the middle distance in 2002 and 2007, and in sprint in 2004 and 2007. He won the overall World Cup in Ski Orienteering in 2000, 2003 and 2006, and finished 3rd in 2001. Khrennikov by winning the middle distance at the 2017 Winter Military World Games in Sochi, Russia won his fifth medal in this competition. He continued winning three more gold medals there.
Martin Johansson is a Swedish orienteering, ski-orienteering and cross-country skiing competitor, medallist from the orienteering world championships, and a 2004 Junior World Champion in relay. He received bronze medals in sprint at the World Orienteering Championships in Kiev in 2007 and in Olomouc in 2008. His brother, Lars, is a member of the Rockford Icehogs
Sylvi Riitta Saimo was a Finnish sprint canoeist, farmer and politician. She was the first female Finnish Olympic Champion at the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in K-1 500 m at the 1952 Summer Olympics. She also competed in cross-country skiing, athletics and orienteering. She was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 1966 to 1978.
Ruslan Gritsan is a Russian competitor and multiple world champion in both ski-orienteering and mountain bike orienteering.
Olga Novikova is a Kazakhstani ski-orienteering competitor. She was born in Kazakhstan, and later moved to Russia. She is Junior World Champion from 2004. She won a silver medal at the World Ski Orienteering Championships in 2007, competing for Russia. Competing for Kazakhstan, she placed third overall in the World Cup in 2010, and won four gold medals at the 2011 Asian Winter Games.
Eivind Lühr Tonna is a Norwegian ski-orienteering competitor. He received a silver medal in the relay event at the 2004 World Ski Orienteering Championships in Östersund, together with Øystein Kvaal Østerbø, Tommy Olsen and Anders Hauge. He finished 12th in the middle distance and 6th in the sprint distance at the 2004 world championships.
Alexey Yurevich Poltoranin is a Kazakh cross-country skier who has competed at the international senior level since 2004. He has three World Cup wins, one in 2010 and two in 2013. In the 2013 World Championship in Val di Fiemme he won two bronze medals. Most of his best results are in the classic technique.
Alexandr Babenko is a ski-orienteering competitor from Kazakhstan. He competed at the 2009 World Ski Orienteering Championships in Rusutsu, where he placed 40th in the sprint, 27th in the middle distance, 36th in the long distance, and 9th in the relay with the Kazakhstani team. He won a silver medal in sprint at the 2011 Asian Winter Games, behind Mikhail Sorokin.
Vitaliy Lilichenko is a ski-orienteering competitor from Kazakhstan. He competed at the 2009 World Ski Orienteering Championships in Rusutsu, where he placed 30th in the sprint, 45th in the middle distance, 35th in the long distance, and 9th in the relay with the Kazakhstani team. He won a silver medal in the middle distance at the 2011 Asian Winter Games, behind Mikhail Sorokin.
Alexey Nemtsev is a ski-orienteering competitor from Kazakhstan. He competed at the 2009 World Ski Orienteering Championships in Rusutsu, where he placed 29th in the long distance, and 9th in the relay with the Kazakhstani team. He won a silver medal in the long distance at the 2011 Asian Winter Games, behind Mikhail Sorokin.
Bayaraagiin Gerelt-Od is a ski-orienteering competitor from Mongolia. At the 2011 Asian Winter Games, he won a bronze medal in the sprint, behind Mikhail Sorokin and Alexandr Babenko, and a bronze medal in the long distance behind Sorokin and Alexey Nemtsev.
Elmira Moldasheva is a ski-orienteering competitor from Kazakhstan. She competed at the 2009 World Ski Orienteering Championships in Rusutsu, where she placed 30th in the sprint, 32nd in the middle distance, 30th in the long distance, and 7th in the relay with the Kazakhstani team. She won a gold medal in the relay at the 2011 Asian Winter Games.
Yevgeniya Kuzmina is a ski-orienteering competitor from Kazakhstan. She won four medals at the 2011 Asian Winter Games, including a gold medal in the relay, silver medals in the middle distance and the long distance, and a bronze medal in the sprint.
Liu Xiaoting is a ski-orienteering competitor from China. She won two medals at the 2011 Asian Winter Games, including a silver medal in the sprint behind Olga Novikova, and a bronze medal in the middle distance, behind Novikova and Yevgeniya Kuzmina.
Tove Alexandersson is a Swedish orienteering, ski-orienteering competitor and sky runner. She is an ten-time world champion in orienteering, an ten-time world champion in ski-orienteering and a one-time world champion in skyrunning. She runs for Stora Tuna OK in orienteering and Alfta-Ösa OK in ski-orienteering.
Yulia Evgenievna Galysheva is a Kazakhstani mogul skier who won three medals at FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships,bronze medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games and two gold medals at the Asian Winter Games in 2011.
Christopher "Chris" Klebl is an American-Canadian cross-country skier who represented the United States at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Paralympics before winning a gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
