On February 20, the opening ceremony of the VIRTUS WORLD NORDIC SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026 — the World Championship in Nordic skiing among athletes with intellectual impairments — took place at the Olympic Training Center for Winter Sports in Shchuchinsk. The competitions will run until February 24, and among the 43 participants are three athletes from the Akmola Region: Dmitry Morozov, Fedor Nosyrev, and Oksana Borevich.

A total of 43 athletes from different countries are competing in the following categories: іі1 (intellectual disability), іі2 (Down syndrome), and іі3 (autism).

The international championship aims to promote the principles of equal opportunities, develop inclusive sports, and strengthen international sports cooperation.

For the Akmola Region and Kazakhstan as a whole, this is a historic event — for the first time, the country is hosting the Virtus World Championships, bringing together athletes from around the world in Shchuchinsk

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/aqmola-tourism/press/news/details/1168893?lang=kk