Extreme Sports - The Times Of Central Asia

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Tajik Company Restores “Tatra Around the World” Expedition Bus

A minibus, involved in an accident in the Pamir Mountains during the "Tatra Around the World-2" expedition, is currently being repaired by a Tajik company. The accident occurred on August 5 , at 3,000 meters near the village of Tukhgoz in the Ishkashim district, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, when the minibus veered down a slope and got caught in trees. Fortunately, none of the nine tourists, rescued by residents and the Committee for Emergency Situations, were seriously injured. Eight members of the expedition returned home, whilst Marek Havricek remained with the vehicle in Tajikistan. The minibus is now at the Obi Zulol factory, which has pledged to undertake and finance its repair. As soon as the vehicle is roadworthy, Havricek plans to travel through Tajikistan's neighboring countries and return to Europe. Once home, he is considering displaying the restored vehicle in a museum. The “Tatra Around the World” project, founded in 1987-1990, aimed to show people the real world, as opposed to that promoted through the prism of media and propaganda, and over the past five years has comprised expeditions to the Czech Republic, Iran, North Africa, South and North America, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The last expedition started in February 2020 and prior to the accident, the minibus, designed to accommodate 15 passengers, had covered over 175,000 kilometers through Europe, Africa, America, and Central Asia.

incident Sports World Nomad Games Extreme Sports World Cultural Heritage Kokpar Kok boru

A Bone of Contention: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan at Loggerheads Following World Nomad Games Kokpar Final

Astana largely managed to turn the 5th World Nomad Games into an exemplary international sporting event free of politics and disagreements. Overall, the Games stood in stark contrast to the Olympics in Paris earlier this year, when the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow a handful of athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under a neutral flag led to calls from some counties for a boycott. However, the culmination of the Nomad Games saw an unpleasant incident at the final of the most popular event, which resulted in a fallout between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/nomad-game-2.mp4"][/video] A blow with a kamcha On September 12, an incident occurred during the Kokpar final, in which the national teams of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan met, when a player from the Kazakh team, which was underperforming, struck a Kyrgyz rider with a kamcha (whip). At this point, the game was stopped, and a squad of law enforcement officers immediately surrounded the culprit. After the offender was suspended from proceedings and given a time penalty, the game continued, and Kazakhstan, having leveled the score, won the match in overtime. The Kokpar final at the previous Nomad Games, hosted by Turkey, also ended with a marginal Kazakh victory in the derby between the long-standing rivals. However, unlike in 2022, this time the Kyrgyz national team did not accept defeat in silence. At the awards ceremony, the Kyrgyz team ripped off their silver medals, raised their country's flag, and defiantly left the arena. “We knew it would be unfair, but not to this extent. The referees were swearing at us, and the police were beating our players," the Kyrgyz captain said. "A KNB (national security) officer came up to me, showed me his ID card, took my picture, and started to intimidate me, saying I was sowing discord between nations. The pressure was strong. After the scuffle, when the score was 3-1 in our favor, we were asked to leave the game. They said the refereeing would be fair... We didn't think the Kazakhstani side would allow such disorganization and injustice. If Kazakhstanis have pride, they won't celebrate such a victory.” The press service of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee promptly denied the allegations, saying their officers were not involved in providing security for the Games. Tastanbek Yesentaev, the Chief Judge of the World Nomad Games in Astana, threatened the Kyrgyz team with a 2-3 year suspension from the competition for showing disrespect. This statement only served to further inflame proceedings. At a briefing on September 16, four days after the final, Ramis Kudaibergenov, an expert on the Kyrgyz Kok-Boru Federation, stated that the Kazakh national team committed 14 gross violations of rules in the final of the Kokpar, and given a level playing field, the Kyrgyz team would have won 5-1. “Everyone blames the referee, but the whole system is culpable. We prepared the players based on previous games, but there were so many infractions we didn't take into account. We were able to...

Extreme Sports World Nomad Games Sports Cultural Heritage

The World Nomad Games: Capturing a Sense of the Great Steppe

The 5th World Nomad Games, set to be hosted in Astana from September 8-13, is Central Asia's largest national sports competition and, complemented by unique cultural and scientific programs, attracts participants and spectators from throughout the world. As reported by TCA, there is a distinctive festive fizz in the air as the city prepares to welcome visitors, with streets, shopping centers, public spaces and even buses already festooned with flags and colorful decorations. Ablai Kondybaev, the Deputy Head of the Directorate responsible for preparing and organizing the 5th World Nomad Games, spoke to The Times of Central Asia about how the event allows visitors to experience the spirit of the Great Steppe. TCA: The geographical scope of the Nomad Games is steadily expanding worldwide. How many countries will participate this year and how many tourists and spectators are expected to attend? AK: The Games have a ten-year history. Having originated in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, they have since been held three times in the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata and on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Over the relatively short period since it began, the event has grown dramatically. The first Games attracted participants from 19 countries mainly from Central Asia where there is a historic nomadic culture, whereas the 4th Nomad Games hosted by Iznik, Turkey, in 2022, saw athletes competing from 81 countries. It's very interesting to track the geography of engagement. In previous Games, for example, countries such as New Zealand and Madagascar participated. Superficially, they have nothing to do with nomadic culture, yet consider themselves descendants of nomads. Such things bring us closer together; in the distant past, all humanity was nomadic. To date, we have received applications for participation from 89 countries to compete in this year's event. The Nomadic Games are a new and interesting phenomenon, offering unique and highly engaging spectacular sports, unfamiliar and exotic to European and Western audiences. As such, the Games are becoming increasingly popular abroad. Today's geographical representation of athletes is expansive, with countries including Venezuela, Ireland, Gambia, and Brunei participating for the first time. For ten years, countries from literally all continents have joined the event and perhaps in the future, we will reach a point where interest in our national sports is on a par with the Olympics or soccer championships. [caption id="attachment_21887" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Falconry in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan; image: Stephen M. Bland[/caption] TCA: Is it significant that the month of September was chosen for the Games? AK: Absolutely. September is when nomads traditionally celebrate the completion of the migration with their caravan of yurts and animals from their summer to winter camp with a toi ; an event comprising feasts, rituals, games and competitions. TCA: Which competitions generate the most excitement amongst spectators: Horse racing, archery, wrestling? AK: Nomadic life is directly related to horses, and year on year we observe how people who know nothing about steppe culture are particularly fascinated by our equestrian sports. Always spectacular and challenging, they take the audience's breath away. But...

Silk Road Mountain Race Extreme Sports Nature Tourism

International Cyclists Take on Kyrgyz Peaks in Silk Road Mountain Race

More than 170 athletes from 40 countries are participating in Kyrgyzstan's annual Silk Road Mountain Race. The route this year will take competitors over many of the country's dramatic mountain passes, and past the largest lakes of Son-Kul, Chatyr-Kul, and Issyk-Kul. Riding 1,938 kilometers in total, cyclists will have to traverse 14 mountain passes, and part of the route will be at an altitude of more than 3,500 feet. The race started in Bishkek, and will end in a few weeks' time in Cholpon-Ata. Competitors must carry everything they need with them, such as tents and sleeping bags, food, water, and spare bicycle parts. “This is the best advertisement for our tourism potential. It is gratifying that its popularity and the number of participants, including among Kyrgyz people, is growing yearly,” said Edil Baisalov, deputy chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers. Baisalov said that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are watching the race. The Silk Road Mountain Race is a multi-day bicycle race in inaccessible mountainous terrain. Athletes compete on endurance, riding through mountain passes and old trails. The marathon route changes every year, but the goal remains the same.

Caspian Sea Extreme Sports Caspian Region Azerbaijan Tourism

Caspian Sea Swim by Travelers Carl Bushby and Angela Maxwell

British traveler Carl Bushby and American traveler Angela Maxwell, accompanied by accompanied by 15-time Azerbaijani swimming champions Anastasia Boborkina and Abdurrahman Rustamov, plan to become the first people ever to swim across the world's largest closed inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. The expedition covering approximately 300 kilometers, from Aktau, Kazakhstan, to Baku, Azerbaijan, will begin mid-August and take about a month to complete. Crossing the Caspian Sea is a significant part of the unique and ambitious 'Goliath' project instigated by Carl Bushby to circumnavigate the globe without using any form of transport. Having set off in 1998, the paratrooper-turned writer has now covered over two-thirds of the 58,000-kilometre journey. Angela Maxwell is an experienced American traveler, renowned for her extreme expeditions. In 2014, she sold all her belongings and set off on foot to explore the world. Since then, she has covered thousands of kilometers, often alone, through different countries, encountering diverse cultures and overcoming numerous challenges. Maxwell's participation in the Caspian Sea swim adds a new dimension to the Goliath expedition whilst emphasizing both adventurers' daring spirit and courage. The Caspian Sea swim is a physically challenging and strategically important part of journey, given the current climate which prohibits crossing Russia and Iran by foot. Bushby admits to having limited swimming experience and to preserve their energy and safely attain their goal, the pair plan to swim around 10 kilometers a day, escorted by a boat to assist in any emergencies.

Sanctions Extreme Sports

Intrigue Shadows a Rugged Motor Race with Central Asian Roots

Several vehicle crews from Turkmenistan are competing in the Silk Way Rally, a 5,243-kilometer race that started in Russia’s Siberian city of Tomsk on July 5 and will finish in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on July 15 after passing through mountain and desert terrain. The Russia-backed event has attracted scrutiny not just for the off-road adventure – its organizers face U.S. sanctions for allegedly helping Russian military intelligence. The annual Silk Way Rally, which comes at a time of high tensions between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine, has a history of Central Asian involvement since it was first held in 2009. The initial route started in Kazan, Russia, went through Kazakhstan and finished in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. After a few more route variations, the 2016 edition began in Red Square in Moscow and passed through Kazakhstan on the way to the finish in Beijing after an epic 10,735 kilometers. The race was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. The rally has had competitions for various categories, including trucks, cars, SSVs (Special Service Vehicles, of a type often used by police or firefighting units for difficult conditions at high speeds) and quad bikes, which are four-wheel, all-terrain vehicles. [caption id="attachment_20146" align="aligncenter" width="374"] silkwayrally.com[/caption] The rally, which purports to follow routes used by merchants on the so-called Silk Road network many centuries ago, is reminiscent of the renowned Dakar Rally in West Africa. It has recently come under suspicion as an alleged front for Russian operatives. Past winners and competitors in the Silk Way Rally have included people from France, Spain and other Western European countries, as well as Ukraine, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Argentina. At least two dozen countries were represented in several editions of the annual race in previous years. This year, nationals from about half a dozen countries signed up and the vast majority are Russian, illustrating the impact of sanctions and the deterioration in ties since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Several two-member teams from Turkmenistan, including brothers Merdan and Shokhrat Toylyev, are competing in the T2 class of cross-country vehicles. A Kyrgyz citizen is listed with a Russian in a team in another vehicle category. The 2024 Silk Way Rally is not recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, also known by its initials FIA. The Paris-based governing body of motorsport has taken action to isolate Russia and its ally, the government in Belarus, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The race has caught the attention of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which on June 12 said it was imposing sanctions on the organization and its directors for alleged ties to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. The department said Silk Way head Bulat Akhatovich Yanborisov, a Russian citizen, had received awards from the GRU for his work and appears to use his properties in Europe as transit points for Russian military intelligence officers. “Bulat, who is Silk Way’s CEO and general director, alongside his son Amir Bulatovich Yanborisov (Amir),...