The Medeu is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 meters above sea level. It consists of 10.5 thousand square meters of ice and utilizes a sophisticated freezing and watering system to ensure the quality of the ice.

It is also considered to be the world’s largest high-mountain skating rink. The skating rink was named after the Maloalmatinsky volost Medeu Pusurmanov. He built three wooden huts for the wintering of his family there and began the development of the tract in the foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau. Medeu became a well-known entrepreneur, and patron of educational institutions, and participated in the planting of the city.

Construction of the skating rink began in the fall of 1949, and the first competition took place at the stadium on 4 February 1951. The level of solar radiation in the area, as well as low pressure and a weak wind, was thought to be a key aspect in numerous world records broken within the complex. Also, the ice used on the skating rink was thought to be an important factor as it’s composed of water from Malya Almatinka (providing high sliding speeds).

In the stands, the complex seated 10.5 thousand people. The complex also included cloakrooms, buffets designed for 500 people, a hotel for athletes, a bottling room, a room with a film projector, rooms for judges, a press center, a bathhouse, and rental points for skates. In 1974, Medeu hosted the European Speed Skating Championships in its arena.

According to the Internet