The Rules of the Steppe: Countdown to the 2024 World Nomad Games

The countdown to the 2024 World Nomad Games (WNG) in Astana, Kazakhstan, which will take place between September 8-13, has begun. Now in its fifth incarnation, the upcoming WNG will host an estimated 3,000 athletes - including nomadic and non-nomadic participants (such as American cowboys) - from over 100 nations. The event will showcase sports, science, and culture at venues comprising the Alau Ice Palace, the Astana Arena, the Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace (named after the Kazakhstani Greco-Roman Olympian wrestler Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov), the Qazaqstan Athletic Sports Complex, the Duman Complex, and the Kazanat Hippodrome. Beside the hippodrome’s equestrian sports complex, the Ethno-aul, or the “Nomadic Universe,” is where visitors can immerse themselves in the many nomadic yurt traditions through classes, entertainment, and cultural programs. The first official WNG began in the resort town of Cholpon-Ata in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2012. At that time, almost 600 athletes from 19 countries took part in ten sporting categories. Since then - with the second and third WNG also in Cholpon-Ata in 2016 and 2018 - and the fourth in the town of İznik in northwestern Turkey in 2022, the number of games and participants has grown exponentially. In 2016, 1,200 athletes from 62 countries took part in 26 sporting categories. In 2018, the numbers increased to 2,000 athletes from 82 countries in 37 sports. In 2022, 3,000 athletes from 102 countries took part in a limited number of games (13) held over a shorter timeframe due to restrictions enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic. September is a significant calendar month for the WNG due to the traditional nomadic migration between seasonal camps in preparation for winter. To the uninitiated, and in particular, newcomer spectators from the West, the WNG is an action-packed alternative to more conventional and established international sports. Earlier this year, UK package tours for the 2024 WNG sold out. There is a Game of Thrones fantasy element to some of the scheduled events. The venerable warrior allure of selected games that include birds of prey, dogs, horses, wrestling, archery, and agility contests, are rooted in the uncompromising landscape from which the games were born. The WNG is fairly new to the international stage, but the games themselves are not. Abiding by the rules set by the Eurasian Steppe, athletic events are often vigorous and compellingly rugged. The vast, grassy plains with their minimal natural resources are where the nomadic inhabitants learned to sustain their way of life in work and play. Thus, the WNG has been extracted, maintained, and perfected by the ancient rituals of age-old battles and challenging recreation. [caption id="attachment_20496" align="alignnone" width="1979"] Kok-Boru, 2018 World Nomad Games Image Source: Helen Owl[/caption] Horses are a vital extension of Central Asian human resourcefulness. Among the sporting category highlights, the popular Kok-Boru (also known as Buzkashi and Ulak Tyrtysh in Kyrgyz) procured from a battle training custom, will take center stage. Mere balls fade in comparison to the headless goat carcass that the equestrian participants must capture and then fling into the...

American Cowboys to Compete in 5th World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan

Last week, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Ermek Marzhikpayev met Kaycee Field, renowned American professional rodeo cowboy, and Ladd Howell, captain of the US kokpar team. Perhaps surprisingly, the traditional Kazakh game of kokpar is growing in popularity in America. The US National Kokpar Team, led by Howell, competed in both the 2018 and 2022 World Nomad Games and plans were discussed for its participation in the 5th World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan. Kokpar, or goat–picking, is one of the oldest nomadic games in Kazakhstan. Fast and furious, it involves riders fighting for possession of a headless carcass of a goat and throwing it into a pit to score a ‘goal.’ Addressing the US delegation, Minister Marzhikpayev said, “Kokpar is one of the oldest nomadic games, and played for hundreds of years, is highly entertaining. At previous World Nomad Games, Kazakhstani Kokpar athletes won gold. We have heard much about your team as a leader in this sport. It is gratifying that you actively participate in the equestrian sports of Central Asia and are involved in their popularization in the United States. We believe that your team’s performance will be one of the most memorable.” He also mentioned the US team's proposal to provide demonstration performances of American rodeo in this year's program. The 5th World Nomad Games will be held in Astana from 8-14 September and The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan anticipates the participation of almost 4,000 athletes from over a hundred countries in twenty competitive and ten demonstration events. Initiated by the government of Kyrgyzstan in 2012 for the revival and preservation of nomadic culture, the first World Nomad Games took place in Cholpon Ata on Lake Issyk-Kul in September 2014.