Send-off ceremonies held as UAE, Kazakhstan teams head for 9th Asian Winter Games

Athletes who will represent the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kazakhstan at the 9th Asian Winter Games were given a warm send-off in their respective countries on Monday as they now head for the host city of Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The week-long Games, which are due to get underway in northeast China's "ice city" of Harbin on Friday, will see 1,270 competitors from 34 countries and regions taking part, making this the largest ever edition of the event in terms of overall participation.

The UAE is also sending its biggest ever delegation, with seven athletes set to compete in Alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding.

While the team has largely been training in indoor facilities in Dubai, prior to the Games, they also completed a six-day overseas training camp in Georgia to prepare for the challenges ahead.

"I just want to try my best give it all I got and represent the UAE in the best way as possible. There is some quite tough competition going and it's exciting to see all of them," said athlete Alexander Astridge.

His teammate Amenah Almuhairi expressed her goals for the event, saying she is hopeful to gain valuable experience from the competition.

"My expectation is to land my full run that I have planned and to hopefully go and meet some new friends and new people and just enjoy the whole event," she said.

Abdallah Albalushi, also participating in his first big international competition, said he is setting out to simply deliver his best performance and make his country proud.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Consulate-General in Almaty organized a special ceremony for Kazakhstan's national Alpine ski team on Monday as they get ready to make their way to China.

The event also coincided with the tail end of celebrations for the Chinese New Year, and athletes were presented with symbolic snake dolls, representing the recently-arrived Year of the Snake.

The team, comprising eight athletes, expressed their excitement and readiness for the upcoming Games.

"Athletes are ready to compete for medals. I hope we can perform well and achieve good results at this year's Asian Winter Games," said head coach Alexander Kostrov.

"I believe I can achieve good results in this competition. I will try my best. Thank you very much for the invitation. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in the Harbin Asian Winter Games!" said athlete Alexey Kulakov.

Mariya Shkabarova, another athlete, says she is confident of a good result given her recent form.

"I think I will show my best. My performance in the previous season was pretty good. I will go all out in this competition,"said Shkabarova.

Send-off ceremonies held as UAE, Kazakhstan teams head for 9th Asian Winter Games

As U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran continue, their repercussions are increasingly being felt across Europe, Spanish residents and politicians are urging a united European to call for peace and solve the disputes through diplomatic means.

In Spain, the ongoing conflict has led to a sharp rise in the prices of goods and fuel in Madrid, the capital. People's voices are growing louder in their appeal for European nations to stand together against war and to resolve international disputes through dialogue and negotiation rather than military force.

"The U.S. has launched a war whose legitimacy is in question. The U.S. government then sought help from its allies with military bases, but the Spanish government refused this request. In response, the U.S. is considering trade restrictions against Spain, and possibly more measures. All of this is affecting local prices," said Nicolas, a Madrid resident.

Spanish officials warn that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran are undermining international consensus and impacting the daily lives of people around the world. They urge European nations to stand with Spain in firmly opposing conflict and war, and to resolve disputes through diplomacy and negotiation.

"This conflict has indeed affected the way of life for us Spaniards. Although our military bases will not be used for attacks, food and energy prices keep rising. This means, whether we like it or not, we are directly or indirectly involved in this war, just like other parts of the world. That's why we need to show solidarity. We fully support the anti-war stance taken by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and government from the very beginning, and strongly recommend that this position be more strongly reflected at the European level," said Jose Luis Centella, chairman of the Communist Party of Spain.

Spain urges Europe to unite for peace amid US-Israel strikes on Iran