When I mention Kazakhstan, a strangely familiar yet completely ludicrous figure will probably pop into your head and it is likely to be that of Borat Sagdiyev - better known simply as Borat.

Borat is the name (and indeed the film title) of a fictional Kazakhstani character outrageously portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen.

Cohen,well-known for his equally ridiculous roles as "Ali G" and "Bruno", shows Borat to be a vulgar Kazakhstani journalist devoid of any apparent intelligence.

When I tell you that the plot involves him travelling to America to marry Pamela Anderson after watching a rerun of Baywatch and then getting involved in a naked wrestling match with another man in the middle of a luxury hotel, it's pretty much all you need to know.

The film obviously didn't provide an accurate portrayal of people from the ninth largest country in the world but other than Cohen's infamous character and the fact that the Kazakhstani football team appear to play England in major championship qualifiers on a surprisingly regular basis - and are one of England's very few "guaranteed" easy games - not too much is known of the nation in these parts.

If I told you that Kazakhstan was a currently sporting powerhouse, I would probably get as many laughs as Borat, but very soon all that could change as the country has slowly but surely began to make its move in becoming a major player.

I found this out first-hand when I recently visited the delightful city of Almaty - the former capital of Kazakhstan before Astana took over - for the 2010 International Boxing Association Congress.

I headed there without hearing one positive comment about the transcontinental country located in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, but as I landed in Almaty I soon realised that none of those I had spoken to were particularly well informed about the place.

I was immediately greeted on the ground by volunteers who were equally as friendly and fluent in English as those I had encountered at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and the Singapore Youth Olympics not too long ago.

And upon arriving at probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in, I was rather taken aback when I pulled apart my bedroom curtains to see the most picturesque of mountain ranges surrounding the elegant buildings of Almaty.

It is actually these very same snow-topped mountains that are key to Kazakhstan's future plans as it is in winter sport that the country is hoping to make its mark.

Those with a decent memory may recall the fact that Almaty actually put together a bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It was a solid attempt to host the Games and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacque Rogge even went as far as to say that it was a very good bid, but it was implied that Almaty was not as feasibly up-to-par as the three cities eventually shortlisted - Sochi, Pyeongchang and Salzburg.

The Russian city of Scohi won the bid, while Korea's Pyeongchang is again one of the three candidate cities selected by the IOC Executive Board to host the 2018 Winter Games. They currently face stiff competition from Annecy and Munich for the honour.

Almaty though, was well-beaten in its campaign to host the 2014 Games and it was feared by some that the dream of hosting major sporting competition was over before it had even properly begun.

That scenario though, is apparently not the case as Almaty, alongside Kazakhstan's new capital Astana, has secured the right to host the 2011 Asian Winter Games.

Although neither the summer nor winter version of the Asian Games are overly publicised by the majority of the Western media, make no doubt about the scale or grandeur of them.

The Asian Summer Games, which take place in Guangzhou, China later this month, will feature 45 nations competing in 476 events across 42 sports with many of the venues larger than those at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Meanwhile the VII Winter Games in Almaty and Astana, which begin next January, will boast around 2,500 athletes competing in 69 events across 11 sports.

On top of the Government of Kazakhstan has invested $ 726 million (£450 million) in the event to go towards building state-of-the-art venues, including the fantastic multipurpose Almaty Sports Palace, where I had the great privilege of watching the first ever World Series of Boxing (WSB) contest during my trip.

A Ski Resort Centre and the Athletes' Village will absorb $480 million (£297.65 million) with transport and infrastructure also taking a large chunk. Private investors are also set to plough in over $300 million (£1.86 million) in the project meaning that overall Kazakhstan is spending over $1 billion (£620 million) as it looks to show it can host a major sporting event to a high standard.

Granted, the Asian Winter Games is no Winter Olympics, but few can deny that it is a damn good springboard to such an event.

One only need look at how the widely acclaimed Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games paved the way for a successful London 2012 Olympic bid to realise how successfully staging one major multi-sport event leads inevitably to hosting another, bigger one.

So in a nutshell, the Asian Winter Games will be an invaluable experience in hosting for the cities of Almaty and Astana and, should all go well, one that could well open the door for a bright future.

During my stay in Kazakhstan, I briefly managed to speak to the former Almaty Mayor, Imangali Tasmagambetov, a charming fellow who is a huge sports fan.

Tasmagambetov believes that Kazakhstan hosting events such as the Asian Winter Games and the 2010 International Boxing Association Congress shows it is ready to be considered a serious contender for the bigger events.

"Almaty hosting the 7th Asian Winter Games, first of all, is indicative of the growing role of Kazakhstan in the world community as an independent country," Tasmagambetov explained.

"Kazakhstan is becoming more and more recognisable owing to vast backing by our president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"I am earnestly convinced that the next Asian Games due in Almaty will demonstrate all the sporting might of Kazakhstan and allow others to see our polyethnic country and also enjoy our rich culture and history.


"We will do our best to make the Opening and Closing Ceremonies not merely memorable performances, but also striking, breathtaking and ingenious with a broad range of topics covered.

"We will also strike everyone with our sporting achievements.

"Our preparations for these Asian Games will be comprehensive."

A bold statement indeed, but you get the feeling it carries more than a hint of truth.

Kazakhstan are successful in a number of sports, not least in boxing where they boast the likes of high profile Olympic champion Bakhyt Sarsekbayev and where their WSB franchise the Astana Arlans, which is led by Sarsekbayev, one of the big hitters at the business end of the competition.

However, I feel certain it is in the winter sports that Kazakhstan will make its mark on the global stage and prove to the Western world that there is a whole lot more to it than just Borat.

So Kazakhstan to host the 2022 Winter Olympics?

That's pretty unlikely.

But Kazakhstan to host the Winter Olympics before 2042?

I'd definitely put a few quid on that.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames