The spectacular “Olympics” of Central Asia

The fifth World Nomad Games began this week in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Dubbed the “Great Gathering of the Steppe,” the Nomad World Olympics are a spectacular celebration of traditional sports, identities and cultures from across Inner Asia.

In fact, many of the sports have their roots in the skills needed to survive on the steppe and the unmatched horsemanship that fueled a millennia-long wave of successive steppe empires, from the Huns to the Mongols. There are traditional events such as archery and long-distance horse racing, but the games also promote Kazakh food, traditional clothing and even the art of epic storytelling. The goal is to preserve and protect nomadic and steppe culture, which has been undermined by globalization, modernization and even Climate change.

The World Nomad Games are held every two years and change venues as frequently as the nomads they celebrate. The next event in 2026 will likely be held again in Kyrgyzstan, where the inaugural event began in 2014. This year's competition ends on Friday, September 13.

The opening ceremony on September 8 was a spectacular event. 3,000 athletes from 89 countries streamed into the arena, while hundreds of musicians, dancers and singers performed for Central Asia's political elite. The show traced the history of the Kazakh steppe, from ancient Scythian warriors and Silk Road traders to the rise of the Golden Horde and the Kazakh Khanate in the 15th century. The performers depicted scenes of the steppe gathered under the symbolic embroidered panels of a yurt (see image above), a reference to the gatherings of nomadic confederations that took place periodically to enthrone a new ruler. khagan (Ruler).

This favorite of the games – also known locally as kokpar, cook, Ulak Tartysh And bukkake – is best described in English as rugby on horseback with a dead goat for a ball.

Two teams of seven riders each compete to grab the headless carcass (which is made of rubber in these games), hoist it under their leg, sprint to the opposing line and then throw it into a rope ring or a large plastic ring. This is an understatement; broken fingers and torn ears are common. “The most important quality of a kokpar player is to be strong, brave and not to be afraid,” said the captain of the Kazakh team, Kermenbek Turganbek.

On Thursday, thousands of fans watched the home team Kazakhstan defeat their arch-rivals (and ethnic brothers) Kyrgyzstan in extra time in the final.

Eagle hunting is one of the more unusual of the 21 official sports represented at the Games. It takes many years for an experienced eagle hunter (known as a Subscribe) to tame and train a wild golden eagle (berkut), and the cost and time involved make it the most vulnerable traditional sport in the Games.

The competition is held in three categories: hunting with eagles, hawks or falcons. All categories have their origins in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and western Mongolia, where hunting for foxes, rabbits and wolves traditionally takes place in winter, when the animals' fur is at its thickest.

Wrestling on horseback (Subscribe) takes place in a sand arena with a diameter of 15 m and the fights are divided into six weight classes. The aim is to pull the opponent to the ground, but wrestlers can also score points by lifting their opponent from the saddle or pushing them out of the circle. Horses are penalized for biting.

Other forms of wrestling without a horse (known as kureshi, Kurash or koresh The styles (in Turkic languages) include specific Kazakh, Turkish, Tatar and Kyrgyz styles, which, unlike many other sports in the games, usually include competitions for women.

Archery (both on the ground and on horseback) is perhaps the sport that most recalls the warrior past of central Asia. For centuries, waves of mounted archers flooded cities in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, helpless against the steppe peoples' unrivalled mastery of iron stirrups and composite bows.

“Genghis Khan [Genghis] “Khan's blood is in my blood,” said Mongolian archer Tsetsegsuren Dorjsuren. “I feel my ancestors when I pick up my bow.”

Mas wrestling, also known as stick tug of war, has its roots in Yakutia (now the Sakha Republic, one of several Turkic republics of the Russian Federation participating in the 2024 Games).

The athletes sit opposite each other, their feet are on a board, both holding a wooden stick or mas. The goal is to take the stick from your opponent or to pull him to your side (think of overgrown toddlers fighting over a toy). There are separate competitions for men and women.

The World Nomad Games are about much more than just sport. The centrepiece of the six sports venues is the Ethno-aul (aul means village in Kazakh), a collection of yurts, craft shops and local restaurants where performers dressed as medieval warriors and musicians perform old folk songs.

Picture above, these women in traditional Kazakh clothing stand in front of an apple tree in reference to the city’s claim to be the Home of the wild apple; Almaty's Soviet-era name, Alma-Ata, means “grandfather of apples”.

One of the great joys of participating in the World Nomad Games is the traditional music that flows from the concert halls and yurts of the Ethno-aul complex. The most compelling Kazakh artists are its akimBards or storytellers who recite and improvise epic poems and stories while Dombraa lute in the Kazakh style.

The musicians in the photo above play dombra and accordion, the latter a legacy of long Russian influence in the region.

In addition to sports and music, the World Nomad Fames also aims to preserve artistic and textile traditions by hosting master artisans, many of whom offer demonstrations and courses in traditional Kazakh handicrafts.

Bulbul Kapkyzy, pictured here with her Soviet-era Lenin rug, is a master weaver, yurt-maker and ethnographer who has been perfecting and teaching for more than 45 years. She is an ethnic Kazakh who was born in western Mongolia and moved to Kazakhstan 20 years ago after independenceduring a time of enormous ethnic and economic upheaval in post-Soviet Central Asia.

Astana’s ultra-modern architecture does not seem to be a suitable place for the celebration of an ancient nomadic culture.

Nomads have traditionally left little architectural legacy, and Kazakhstan's futuristic capital Astana is fast making up for lost time. Its well-funded, cutting-edge architectural projects by big names like Norman Foster give it the feel of a Central Asian Dubai, although its location on the great steppe makes it the second coldest capital city in the world (after Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia).