ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the official opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games in Bishkek and greeted Kazakhstan’s national team, which consists of 152 athletes competing across all 43 disciplines at this year’s games, reported Akorda.
Kazakhstan’s national team consists of 152 athletes competing across all 43 disciplines at this year’s games. Photo credit: The Astana Times.
The WNG officially opened at Bishkek Arena, drawing more than 50,000 spectators. Presidents of 17 countries also attended the ceremony.
Turganbek Kurmanbek, world champion in kokpar and captain of Kazakhstan’s national team, carried the Kazakh flag during the opening ceremony.
Opening the games, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said sporting competition could help strengthen friendship among peoples.
He noted that the idea was consistent with the philosophy of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Turganbek Kurmanbek, world champion in kokpar and captain of Kazakhstan’s national team, carried the Kazakh flag during the WNG opening ceremony. Photo credit: Akorda
“The simultaneous hosting of the meeting of heads of state in the Kyrgyz Republic and the WNG also carries deep symbolic significance. At one event, the leaders of states seek ways toward peace and cooperation through dialogue, while at the other, people from around the world come closer together through sport and culture,” Japarov said.
According to Japarov, the games represent a rich cultural heritage inherited from ancient nomadic peoples who inhabited the Eurasian region, including the Huns, Kyrgyz, Turks, Turgesh and other nomadic peoples.
“This spiritual and cultural heritage is being revived today in a new form through the World Nomad Games,” he said.
The cultural program featured performances by several Kyrgyz artists, as well as American singer Nicole Scherzinger.
The WNG will continue through Sept. 6. Most competitions will be held at the Kyrchyn Gorge and the hippodrome in the resort town of Cholpon-Ata in the Issyk-Kul Region.
The previous WNG were held in Astana in 2024, when Kazakhstan topped the overall medal standings.
The seventh WNG will be held in Tatarstan in 2028.
