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Medeu is the world's highest outdoor speed-skating rink, located 1,691 metres above sea level in a mountain valley 15 km south of Almaty. The 10,500-seat venue has hosted over 200 world records and serves as a starting point for the Shymbulak gondola.
Built in 1972 as a Soviet high-altitude speed skating facility, Medeu hosted the 2011 Asian Winter Games. Its combination of altitude and cold, still air gave skaters an aerodynamic advantage that produced a string of world records.