World Nomad Games 2024: A Golden Spectacle
September 13 sees the final day of the World Nomad Games in Astana, themed as the “Gathering of the Great Steppe.” An extravaganza of color and culture, the Games were about much more than sport, however. As described by Sultan Raev, General Secretary of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, even the sports themselves are “not about physical strength. They are about spiritual endurance.”
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The Games have proven an unmitigated success for Kazakhstan, not only due to the nation’s huge medal haul, but in a diplomatic sense, as well, with important regional leaders in attendance. The Games brought together around 3,000 participants from 89 countries competing for 581 medals across 21 sports, with media outlets from 64 countries applying for accreditation. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has stated that over tens of thousands of foreign tourists will have attended the Games, which will “help showcase Kazakhstan's cultural and sports heritage to a global audience, significantly boosting interest in tourism to the country."
On the last day proper of the Games, the finals of the kokpar and the kok boru were staged. Described by Ablai Kondybaev, Deputy Head of the Directorate responsible for preparing and organizing the 5th World Nomad Games in an interview with TCA as the “most famous” events, they are “traditional games akin to polo played with sheep or goat carcasses. Long popular among Turkic people, especially in Central Asia, these fast and furious competitions attract record numbers of spectators.”
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Games popularized by Jenghiz Khan - though it is said his horde preferred to use a human torso for a ball – these days, at international events at least, the goat carcass has been replaced by a dummy, known as a serke. Still, with the stampeding horses producing a great wall of dust, the flag-waving partisan crowd were hugely engaged, and it is easy to see why. A scrum of whips and sweating horses snorting, occasionally a horseman would emerge, swinging the serke by a leg.
Forecasts had pointed to the finals likely being between the favorites, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and this proved to be the case, and in the kokpar, Kazakhstan were victorious. However, the hosts had to settle for silver in the kok boru, losing 10-4 to neighboring Kyrgyzstan after beating Turkey 15-1 in the semis in a surprise drubbing. Overall, however, the Games have been a golden event for the nation as a whole.
Despite earlier reports indicating that the World Nomad Games would return to Kyrgyzstan in 2026, according to Kondybaev, “it is planned that it will be Uzbekistan” who will stage the next iteration, which would mean another new host nation for this dazzling demonstration of the resilience of nomadic culture and its dramatic resurgence in the era of globalization.
As previously reported by TCA, in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, President Tokayev pointed out that: “Even amid globalization, the nomadic lifestyle that existed for a thousand years is reviving and taking a new shape. Modern nomads are making efforts to reclaim a central place in history. We are moving and traveling easily all over the world in search of education and job opportunities.”
Since Estonia became the first country to offer a “digital nomad visa” in 2020, sixty-five more nations have followed suit, with their number continuing to grow. In the modern world, nomadic traditions, it appears, remain vital, and are once again thriving.
Latest Baikonur Space Launch Helps to Set a Record
It seemed almost routine: One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts traveling to the International Space Station in a Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After all, the Russian-run facility in a remote, barren part of the Central Asian country has been a mainstay of travel to the station for many years. But the three-hour trip on the Soyuz on Wednesday made some space history, increasing the total number of people currently in Earth’s orbit to a record of 19. The previous record of 17 was set last year. The trip brings the number of people currently on the International Space Station to 12, including seven Americans and five Russians, according to NASA. The group will get a little smaller on Sept. 23, when one American and two Russians are scheduled to depart. There are also three people on China’s space station and four people led by billionaire Jared Isaacman on the five-day Polaris Dawn mission, for a total of 19. The new arrivals at the International Space Station are NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. They’ll spend about six months in space and return to Earth in the spring of 2025. It’s the fourth trip to space for Pettit and Ovchinin and the second for Vagner. NASA and Roscosmos currently have a “cross-flights” deal involving travel to and from the International Space Station for three Russian cosmonauts on the U.S. Crew Dragon spacecraft and three U.S. astronauts on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The two space agencies are working on extending the agreement beyond the spring of 2025, the Russian news agency Interfax reported in a story with a Baikonur dateline. It quoted Kenneth Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations. The joint missions are one of the rare areas of collaboration between Russia and the United States at a time of heightened tension over the Ukraine war.
The Subtle Politics of the World Nomad Games
Attending the World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan, one might be tempted to look for a possible political dimension, or the seeming lack thereof. The 5th World Nomad Games have brought together in Astana more than 3,000 participants from 89 countries competing for 581 medals across 21 sports, with a prize fund of 250 million tenge ($521,000). This dwarfs the 19 nations which participated in the first iteration of the event, hosted in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, where just ten sports were held. Of course, the Games have expanded exponentially since then, and interest from visitors and media alike has also skyrocketed. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Tourism and Sports has stated that over 100,000 foreign tourists will attend the Games, which will “help showcase Kazakhstan's cultural and sports heritage to a global audience, significantly boosting interest in tourism to the country." Also hugely significant is the level of media interest, with outlets from 64 countries applying for accreditation. With competitors, visitors and media from around the globe, clearly the appeal of the Games has expanded far beyond those nations from which the heirs to nomadic civilizations hail. As for its cultural significance, it speaks volumes that the World Nomad Games has been included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Games, however, are also acting as a semi-official summit, as evinced by the attendance of President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic, Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedow, the Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan, the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Aisen Nikolayev, the former president of Mongolia, Nambaryn Enkhbayar, the son of Turkey’s President, Bilal Erdogan, and more. Given all this, the World Nomad Games as more than just an event, sporting or otherwise, and have been utilized as part of Kazakhstan's strategic course in pursuit of a balanced and multi-vector foreign policy aimed at ensuring the best interests of the state, whilst positioning the nation as an increasingly important land-bridge between East and West, both in terms of trade and diplomacy. This dynamic neutrality has made the Nomad Games in Astana the first international sporting event since the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine in which the Russian team has been able to participate under the national flag. Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that the “Russian national team, comprising 150 athletes, was welcomed with applause in Kazakhstan’s capital, accompanied by a rendition of “Katyusha.” It’s a celebration of sport and friendship! Kazakhstan has reminded the world of what global sports should be: depoliticized, inclusive, and focused on promoting athleticism rather than being tainted by various perversions.” This, however, does not mean that Kazakhstan is cosying-up to Russia in the slightest. Despite disruptions in trade chains and logistical problems, Astana has followed Western sanctions to the letter, much to Putin’s chagrin. In this ever more open and outward looking nation, rallies against Russia’s invasion have been allowed to be staged. Even the death of Alexei Navalny – no friend of Central Asia given the xenophobic stances he often adopted - was met with makeshift memorials. Thanks to Kazakhstan's efforts, however, the Russian team has been able to compete alongside the U.S. and other teams from nations with tense relations with Russia; and despite these dynamics, this has not caused any controversy in Kazakhstan or in those countries with adversarial relations with Russia. The genuinely depoliticized and open nature of the Games has only served to highlight the success of Kazakhstan's diplomatic, multi-vector approach, which in June 2024 even saw Astana offer to host negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. This stands in stark contrast to what happened at the Olympics in Paris earlier this year, when the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow just over a dozen athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under a neutral flag led to calls from some counties for a boycott. Whilst the efficacy of allowing Russian athletes to perform at sporting events remains up for debate, certainly adopting such extreme positions in the West as banning teaching of the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky – who was himself sent to a Siberian gulag for reading books banned in Tsarist Russia – ultimately benefit no one. In a geopolitical arena which is increasingly portrayed as black and white, Kazakhstan’s position has been far more nuanced, and has seen President Tokayev’s “multi-vector” foreign policy described as “visionary” by figures such as Ariel Cohen, a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Eurasia Center of the Atlantic Council. By leveraging both its geographic location and its vast natural resources, particularly in energy, Kazakhstan has positioned itself as a key player in both regional and global affairs. The World Nomad Games has once again served to underline its growing international importance.
Tokayev Pardons Chinese Scholar Konstantin Syroezhkin
The Kazakh political analyst Andrei Chebotaryov has announced on his Telegram channel that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has pardoned a scholar of Chinese studies, Konstantin Syroezhkin, who was convicted of treason in 2019. “On the proposal of the Commission on pardon issues under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the head of state Kasym-Jomart Tokayev pardoned the doctor of political sciences and professor Konstantin Syroezhkin by an appropriate decree. In this regard, his criminal record was removed, and his rights were restored. In general, justice has triumphed! I wish our colleague and mentor good health and new scientific achievements!”, Chebotaryov shared. Syroezhkin was arrested in February 2019 in a criminal case of high treason. The case caused widespread outrage, especially in scientific circles. At the same time, little is known about it. The trial was closed, and the circumstances of the case were not disclosed. In October 2019, Konstantin Syroezhkin was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to 10 years in prison by the specialized inter-district criminal court of Almaty. In April 2024, the appellate panel granted Syroezhkin's appeal and released him on parole with probation supervision for the remaining term of four years, five months, and 22 days. The board concluded that Syroezhkin's exemplary behavior, conscientious attitude to work, and participation in prison life proved he did not need to serve the entire sentence. Syroezhkin has been engaged in Oriental studies for many years and has had a long academic career in Kazakhstan. Earlier, he worked at the Institute of Uyghur Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR and at Kazakhstan's Center of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences. During the investigation that ended his career, Syroezhkin was chief scientific officer of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, from 2006 to 2019. Among his significant works are such studies as “Modern Xinjiang and its Place in Kazakhstan-China Relations,” “Kazakhstan-China: From cross-border Cooperation to Strategic Partnership,” and “Should Kazakhstan be Afraid of China: Myths and Phobias.” He has also researched the life of Kazakhs in China, which became his work “Kazakhs in China: Sketches of Socio-Economic and Cultural Development.” It is worth noting that other well-known scientists have also been convicted in Kazakhstan. For example, in 2011, the leader of the country's Sufi community and a Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Sayat Ibrayev, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of “organizing a criminal group.” The same year, he was nominated in absentia for the Alikhan Bukeikhanov Award of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan.
Video Highlights: World Nomad Games Day Four
The fourth day of the World Nomad Games, themed as the “Gathering of the Great Steppe,” saw events taking place across Astana once more. TCA went to the Powerful Nomad competition, and took in national dances and some theatrical sabre combat: [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/4.mp4"][/video]
Celebrating Female Pioneers at the 2024 World Nomad Games
Like most dominating worldwide sports, the World Nomad Games are top-heavy with male athletes. Yet while women don’t participate in all the categories, in the 2024 WNG, a noteworthy number of them have become the center of attention. Among the packed crowds of the Hippodrome and Ethnoaul venues, one competitor and two ticket holders had a few things to say on the matter of WNG women.
Timea Janurik, known as Timi, is a folk musician and a PhD student in folk teaching methods, from Budapest, Hungary. She is competing as a player of the citera, the national stringed instrument of Hungary, at the Ethnoaul. The Hungarian representation at the WNG includes three men and three women, but Timi, who specializes in Turkic folk songs, is the only musician among them. While rehearsing in Astana, Timi chanced upon a Kazakh girl singer and asked her, “Do you want to join me in the concert?” Hence, a female alliance and a makeshift band were formed because Timi only knew how to sing one song in the Kazakh language. According to Timi, her new partner “can sing beautifully.” In Timi’s native Hungary, folk musicianship is an art form split evenly among men and women, but citera playing is dominated by women (and violin playing by men).
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Timi is also participating in the female Assyk games, a type of traditional Kazakh board game in which players use small animal bones — assyks — to knock out multiple lines of their opponent’s assyks. The game rules differ according to gender. The male version of the game “is more popular,” says Timi, “because it’s more visible and looks so fancy to play.”
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British visitors Naomi Ocean and Andy Myer (an archer), from Wales and Devon, respectively, came all the way from the UK to Astana to watch the horseback archery. Even though they are well-traveled in other regions of Central Asia, this is their first visit to Kazakhstan and the WNG. They remarked that they hadn’t noticed the UK team participating in anything they have witnessed thus far, but what they have seen has been “interesting and exciting.” Having just seen the Turkey team being “trashed in the kok boru,” they were happy to see Turkey’s subsequent victory in the Traditional Turkish Archery, in particular the female team member who performed victory laps before an exhilarated, mostly Kazakh crowd. “We were glad,” said Naomi, “and we loved seeing the female archers.” Naomi was equally, if not more impressed by the “mixed teams” in the horseback archery category. Having watched and enjoyed the 2016 Kazakh language documentary film, The Eagle Huntress, Naomi and Andy look forward to the Kusbegilik games. “We’re expecting to see women handling eagles, which should be good.”
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A Turkish team victor, competing in Traditional Turkish Archery (mixed gender team), and an Uzbek athlete in horseback archery (with no specific male and female categories) drew huge support — arguably more than their fellow male competitors. Out of the 21 competitive sports, a handful, including some of the more rambunctious horseback and wrestling games, don’t include women. The very notion of incorporating women’s teams into the more rough-and-tumble divisions could draw further attention to these sports as well as a new vantage point for the ticket-purchasing general public.
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“There was a lot of cheering for the women going on from the stands,” said Naomi, “a lot of support for the female riders.”
Day Four at the World Nomad Games: Mighty Deeds at a Global Gathering
On day four of the World Nomad Games, themed as the “Gathering of the Great Steppe,” TCA attended the finals of the Powerful Nomad competition, and spoke to visitors from the West about what had drawn them to Kazakhstan and the Games.
“I'm an American traveling around the world,” Andy from Houston, Texas, one of a group of friends who’d met on the road in Central Asia told TCA. “I’ve wanted to come to the World Nomad Games for quite a few years, now, but haven't got the chance. I'm traveling full-time this year and figured I’d swing by Kazakhstan and check it out.”
“It’s so cool to be here and see all the sports and cultures together,” Liam from Vancouver, Canada, added.
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“We knew about the World Nomad Games from having lived in Kyrgyzstan,” Allison from Miami told TCA. “So, when we found out about this one, we decided to come because it's been on the bucketlist. It's been a blast!”
“We’re here because we’re doing the five Stans; When we arrived, we found out this event was going on, so we figured we had to come. We really want to see the hunting with birds. Everyone's been very welcoming, and the food has been good,” Lauren from San Diego said.
“I’m traveling in Kazakhstan because I wanted to do horseback stuff,” said Hellie from the UK. “I’ve never been to Kazakhstan before. I was curious about the Games, and it’s amazing how much I’m learning here. The tents from the regions are really cool.”
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Reflecting the cosmopolitan crowd, on the field for the final of the powerful nomad strongman competition were athletes from around the globe: Cyprus, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Romania, China, Nigeria, Iran, Belarus, Spain, Kuwait, Russia, India, and Kazakhstan. Given the response from the raucous, flag-waving home crowd, you didn’t need to be able to hear the announcer to know which was the Kazakh competitor, but warm and hospitable as ever, all of the competitors were well supported, particularly the ebullient Jerry from Nigeria.
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In the opening discipline of squats with a 100-kilogram bag – with four objects protruding which made it resemble a carcass - the hulking men strained every sinew, with some faring better than others, whilst one keeled over as if having suffered a hernia. It came as no surprise, as outside the arena a smaller, lighter weight set up to challenge spectators saw many fall afoul.
Next up was pulling a trolley weighing 200 kilos, which resembled a horse carriage.
“Bad luck; it was his first time trying,” the ever-comedic commentator chipped in after the participant from Kuwait managed three meters.
Others fared far worse.
The standout, however, was the tallest man in the competition, the entrant from Iran, who managed a staggering twenty-six meters.
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“Wow!” the announcer chimed. “It will be very difficult to bring the cart back to the start.”
It took a team of four to do so.
“I love the yurts and the music performances and the dances,” the enthusiastic Lauren commented. “We just got here, and I already want to come back.”
Latvia Coaches Central Asia on Borders While Hardening Russia Frontier
Last month, Central Asian border and law enforcement authorities on a training visit to Latvia got a look at the Baltic state’s border with Russia, which the Latvian government is fortifying because of tension over the Ukraine war. Officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan met in the Latvian capital of Riga on August 27-29 to talk about how to secure their own borders and work together on trade corridors. The trip ended with a visit to Latvia’s 330-kilometer border to the east with Russia, where “conference participants got acquainted with the infrastructure, equipment and specifics of the border surveillance,” said an EU-backed agency that promotes Central Asian border security and is known by the acronym BOMCA. Unlike the Central Asian countries, Latvia is a NATO member that has provided military aid to Ukraine and considers Russia and Russian ally Belarus, with which it also shares a border (160 kilometers), to be adversaries. Latvia is preparing strongholds, anti-tank ditches and ammunition depots along its border with both countries. The border buildup of Latvia, which was invaded by both Soviet and German forces during World War II before eventual Soviet occupation, differs from the experience of Central Asia’s former Soviet republics, which were formed in the 1920s and 1930s. Of those Central Asian countries, only Kazakhstan shares a border (at about 7,600 kilometers) to the north with Russia, which has longstanding security and trade relations with the region despite the often harsh legacy of Soviet rule. Still, Latvia’s role as a leader of the 20-year-old European Union program to help Central Asia develop and integrate its border management systems comes at a fraught time for the Baltic country as it hardens its borders with Russia and Belarus. The Central Asian officials who inspected Latvia’s border with Russia last month also toured the Border Guard College of Latvia in the eastern town of Rēzekne, whose landmarks include an arch of the ruins of a castle that was mostly destroyed during fighting centuries ago. A Russian military drone entered Latvian airspace from Belarus and fell in the Rēzekne region on Saturday, according to Latvian defense officials. Defense Minister Andris Sprūds said that air defense and electronic warfare development will “allow us to limit the operation of drones of various uses." Latvia has also grappled with illegal crossings by migrants coming from Belarus, which has denied Western accusations that it facilitated border breaches in order to put pressure on the European Union. The EU-backed border training for Central Asia started long before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and is designed to help Central Asian countries with their own challenges, which include drug smuggling and human trafficking. There are historical border disputes in Central Asia, but some have been moving toward resolution. Currently, Latvia and neighboring Lithuania are hosting several months of training for Central Asian handlers of K9s, dogs that search for illegal drugs and explosives. Latvia, in turn, is getting its own help from allies. Earlier this year, the United States gave about 60 buggies to Latvia for patrolling its borders with Russia and Belarus, building on the delivery of drone kits, night vision gear and other equipment in recent years, according to Latvian media.
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