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Children’s Delphic Games Open in Kyrgyzstan

The First Open Children's Delphic Games for CIS countries has begun in Bishkek. The opening ceremony was held at the Toktogul Satylganov Kyrgyz National Philharmonic. The event strives to revive the ancient Greek traditions of the Delphic Games, which took place in the city of Delphi and were dedicated to art and culture. The competition program this year includes competitions for piano, violin, classical guitar, pop and solo singing, folk dance, and DJing. The festival features folk instruments, arts and crafts, and sign language songs. Asel Chynbaeva, Commissioner for Children's Rights, opened the Games by speaking about the importance of the Delphic Games as a platform for cultural exchange and showcasing talent among young people from Eurasian countries. This year special attention is being paid to the Paradelphi nomination, which includes the performance of works in sign language. This emphasizes the importance of inclusiveness and demonstrates how art can overcome barriers and unite people. The Games will run until October 5.

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...

Kazakhstan Launches National Board Game Into Space

The Kazakh pastime "Togyzkumalak" has become the first board game to travel into space. Its launch was organized to promote the 2024 edition of the World Nomad Games, which are currently being held in Astana. Togyzkumalak is one of the oldest Kazakh board games, with a history dating back about 4,000 years. The game is played by two players, who start with 81 stones. Their goal is to "capture" their opponent's stones, and place them into a "cauldron". On September 9 Togyzkumalak was played for the first time at the Nomad Games. The Togyzkumalak tournament has 114 competitors from 41 countries, including Colombia, Bangladesh, the UK, France, Germany, the USA, China, and others. In 2020 Togyzkumalak was included in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, emphasizing its cultural significance for Kazakhstan and other Turkic peoples. After a successful launch, the board was eventually returned to Earth.

Uzbekistan Leads the Field in Central Asia’s Medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics

To date, Uzbekistan ranks 9th out of 169 countries in medals gained at  the Paris 024 Paralympic Games, with five gold, three silver, and three bronze. Placed 13th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with 13 medals, Uzbekistan continues to show robust performances in the Paralympic Games. Highlights include Asila Mirzayorova’s gold in the long jump - a paralympic record of 5.22 meters - and Yorqinbek Odilov’s gold in the men’s javelin throw. Uzbek athletes Elbek Sultanov and Qudratillokhan Marufkhojayev, flourished in the men’s shot put, winning the gold medal; Kubaro Hakimova won the silver medal, and Talibboy Yoldoshev won the bronze. In Paralympic Taekwondo, 22-year-old Asadbek Toshtemirov won gold in the under 80 kg category, while Ziyodakhon Isakova (47 kg) and Guljonoy Naimova (65 kg) took silver. Mokhigul Khamdamova added to the medal tally with a bronze in the women’s discus throw, and Muslima Odilova, with a bronze in the women’s 100m butterfly. Kazakh athletes finished the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in 43rd place with seven medals, and at the Paralympics,  Yerkin Gabbasov has won a silver in shooting. The remaining three Central Asian countries — Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan — have no medals as yet.

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...

A Guy From the Bronx and His Contribution to Uzbekistan’s Boxing Gold

Uzbekistan’s five gold medals in boxing at the Paris games owe something to Sidney Jackson, an accomplished boxer from a poor Jewish family in the Bronx, New York City, who is credited with introducing the sport to Central Asia in the early 1920s. That’s the view of Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the United States, Furqat Sidiqov, and other people in Uzbekistan who know about the country’s evolution as an Olympic boxing power. “This remarkable success is tied to Sidney Jackson, founder of Uzbekistan’s boxing school,” Sidiqov said on the X platform. He said Jackson’s legacy is still shaping champions today and urged people to watch a documentary about the American that was released in 2022 with the backing of the Uzbek government. Jackson, a beloved figure in Uzbekistan who died in Tashkent in 1966, started boxing when he was a boy, won featherweight titles in the United States and joined a boxing tour in Europe just before World War I. He dropped out of the tour because of an injury, traveled to Russia and then diverted to Tashkent when fighting erupted in Europe. Short of money, he stayed there, found a job, joined an international brigade that fought in the civil conflict sweeping Central Asia and the Caucasus after the Russian Revolution, and opened a threadbare boxing club in Tashkent after the war ended. [caption id="attachment_21805" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Sketch of Sidney Jackson by Rifkat Azihanov[/caption]   Over the years, he trained Russian and Central Asian boxers who had international success as representatives of the Soviet Union. Jackson laid foundations for athletes including Russian middleweight boxer Valeri Popenchenko, who won gold at the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, and Rufat Riskiyev, an Uzbek middleweight boxer who won silver at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Uzbekistan’s boxing federation was founded in 1928, and Jackson served as its chairman for more than 20 years. The history of boxing in Uzbekistan is “inextricably linked” with Jackson, according to Uzbek boxing officials. “To call Sidney Jackson the grandfather of boxing in Uzbekistan is accurate, but still undersells his impact on the sport,” the asianboxing.info website said in 2020. “And whilst it may have been more than 50 years since he died, his impact is still felt there, and always will be for any Uzbek stepping between the ropes.”