With the Paris Games now in the rear-view mirror, there’s room for a look at another international competition, the World Nomad Games, which rapped up last week in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The games, which were in their fifth time around, feature 21 official sports, each reflecting the warrior past and survival instincts of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. Among them, Kokpar, described as ‘rugby on horseback,’ horseback wrestling, hunting with eagles and Tyiyn Enmei, which involves picking up small objects from the ground while riding at full gallop.
Participating in this year’s games were athletes from Kazakhstan, which topped the medal count with 112, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Iran, Hungary, Turkmenistan, Romania and Poland, India, China, Moldova and more. Altogether, there were athletes from 89 countries, many of them far from Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan, which finished second in the medals, will host the next round of games in 2026.
