Dust rose from the Cholpon Ata hippodrome as the United States flag circled the arena on Wednesday, but the home team quickly took control of the opening kok boru match between Kyrgyzstan and the United States at the World Nomad Games.
Kyrgyzstan won 16-7 in front of packed stands, opening the scoring after just 23 seconds and maintaining the advantage through three periods. The victory came in a lively atmosphere at the Cholpon Ata hippodrome, where spectators filled the stands for one of the Games’ biggest traditional sports.
Nurzhan Melisbek uulu scored the opening point, and Aydarkan Anarbekov finished with four for Kyrgyzstan, while Kiyaz Niyazov and Aitbek Zholdoshbek uulu scored three each, while U.S. captain Ladd Howell scored six of the American team’s seven points.
The scoreline did not tell the whole story of the American challenge. During the first period, Kyrgyz national team member Nurbek Yusupov told Kabar that the U.S. team had “noticeably improved” and had learned the sport well. He said Kyrgyzstan had trained for two months ahead of the tournament.
For spectators unfamiliar with kok boru, the sport can look chaotic until its structure becomes clear. Riders fight for possession while staying on horseback and attempt to carry the game object across the field and throw it into the opposing team’s taikazan, the large circular goal at either end. Strength matters, but so do balance, control of the horse, and the ability to break free from a tightly packed group of riders.
Under the official 2026 rules, a team has 12 riders on its roster. The game may use either a goat carcass weighing about 30 to 32 kilograms or a 30-kilogram dummy, though it seemed tonight’s used the goat. The rules also regulate horses and require muzzles for horses that bite, reflecting how physical the contest can become.
The United States is no longer a novelty entrant. American riders have appeared at previous World Nomad Games, and the team’s relationship with Kyrgyz kok boru stretches back years. Before this year’s Games, players led by Howell visited the family of Mirlan Srazhdinov, the Kyrgyz player who coached the U.S. team at the 2016 and 2018 editions. Srazhdinov died during a kok boru match in Kyrgyzstan in March 2025. Local coverage of the visit described him as an important link between American and Kyrgyz players.
The American connection was already visible at the 2024 World Nomad Games in Astana. In a TCA interview, U.S. rider Nick Willert described how riders from American ranch and rodeo backgrounds had adapted to kok boru and related equestrian sports. The team returned to Kyrgyzstan this year with nine players under Howell’s captaincy.
Wednesday’s game was part of Group A, which also includes Russia and Uzbekistan. Russia beat Uzbekistan 9-3 in the group’s other opening match, while Tajikistan defeated Hungary 22-4 in Group B.
Kyrgyzstan next faces Uzbekistan at 15:00 on September 3, while the United States plays Russia at 16:05. The kok boru tournament continues through September 6. The schedule gives both teams little time to recover before returning to the sand.
For more from our World Nomad Games 2026 special coverage, click here.
