Around half a billion people worldwide watched the Formula 1 race at Issyk-Kul

Around 500 million people watched the broadcast of the Formula 1 World Championship on the water, which took place on Lake Issyk-Kul. Eduard Kubatov, director of Kyrgyzstan’s State Agency for Tourism Development, revealed this in an interview with an ‘Akchabar’ correspondent on the sidelines of the Kyrgyz-Russian Economic Forum.

According to him, the live broadcast of the event was shown in more than 120 countries.

“According to preliminary estimates, around half a billion people worldwide watched the Formula 1 race at Issyk-Kul,” Kubatov said.

He noted that the main outcome of the championship was the increased media visibility of Kyrgyzstan. An international audience saw that the country is capable of hosting world-class, high-tech sporting events.

The competition lasted three days. The first day featured practice sessions, the second saw qualifying, and the Grand Prix took place on the third day. This was the first time an international sporting event of this calibre had been held in Central Asia.

According to the agency, the championship was attended by around 23,000 tourists from 30 countries. The average spend per tourist was estimated at approximately $700. Domestic tourists also contributed to the economic impact.

“An agreement is currently being drawn up to hold an annual stage of the World Championship at Issyk-Kul until 2030,” added Kubatov.

Representatives of the International Motorboat Sports Union named Issyk-Kul one of the best venues for the championship. An additional challenge for the competitors was the altitude of around 1,600 metres above sea level. In particular, the thin air placed an increased strain on the racing boats’ engines.