Starting August 31st, a small locality in the interior of Kyrgyzstan, a little-known country internationally, will begin hosting another edition of the World Nomadic Games. This sporting event, which is held for the fourth time in six editions, will bring together competitors from various nations to celebrate disciplines inherited from the ancestral peoples of the Eurasian steppes, ranging from the Mongols to the Huns.
The World Nomadic Games were created in 2014 in Kyrgyzstan itself and achieved great national success. For this edition, the host country plans to inaugurate a new stadium for the opening ceremony. Although other nations participate and have hosted competitions, the Kyrgyz maintain the lead in most events.
Historically, Kyrgyzstan remained under the dominion of various empires, such as the Mongols in the 13th century, rarely being an independent territory. After being conquered by the Russians in 1876, the territory was under Moscow's influence during the Soviet Union, becoming the current state only after the end of the socialist regime in 1991.
The idea for the Games came from Askhat Akibaev, a figure dedicated to sports in the country. He sought to create a festival to promote and celebrate Kyrgyz culture, proposing to expand the event to include typical Central Asian competitions, aiming to integrate the country with its neighbors.
The result was an 'Olympics' with sports highly valued in the '-stans', many of which are performed at a gallop. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are powers in this scenario, alongside the Kyrgyz themselves, who lead in medals. Excluding the 2022 editions in Turkey and 2024 in Kazakhstan, all others have been held in Kyrgyzstan.
The disciplines encompass more well-known sports, such as horse racing and mounted archery, but also include unusual practices like er enish, where the objective is to knock the opponent off the mount using only hands, and kok-boru, a contest between two teams on horseback for possession of a goat carcass designated as a goal.
In addition to equestrian activities, there are table game competitions and falconry skill demonstrations, although there is a clear preference among nomadic descendants for competitions involving animals.
After an eight-year break, the World Nomadic Games return to Kyrgyzstan in grand style. The opening ceremony will take place at the Azattyk Arena in the capital Bishkek, a new stadium designed for 51 thousand people and which will be inaugurated during the event. This new arena, built for $60 million, is the largest multi-sport facility in Central Asia, but after the opening, competitors will move to the interior of the country, about 250 km away, for the competitions.
Most of the sporting competitions will be held in Cholpon-Ata, a town with just over 12 thousand inhabitants, located on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. This scenic area, known by the Kyrgyz as a lakeside resort destination, shares attention with Kyrchyn, about an hour away, where cultural events related to the World Nomadic Games take place. Special bus services operate during the week of the contests, which extends until September 6th.
Although the detailed list of participants for the 2026 edition has not yet been released, organizers expect to surpass the numbers from 2024, held in Astana, Kazakhstan, when more than 3 thousand athletes competed. The official website indicates that at least 90 countries will be present at this edition.
