ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s National Sports Association has established two scientific groups focused on horse breeding and athlete training for national sports in preparation for the fifth World Nomad Games, which will be held on Sept. 8-13 in Astana, Kazinform reported on June 6.
These groups comprise leading scientific veterinarians, biologists, geneticists, specialists in sports psychology and medicine. The scientists monitor the functional and psychological state of athletes and sports horses at training camps and competition sites.
“We aim to thoroughly prepare athletes for the World Nomad Games. We plan to conduct monitoring of their functional and mental state, as well as their physical conditioning,” said Anatoly Kulnazarov, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, professor, and head of the integrated research group, as reported by Silk Way TV channel.
The work involves domestic teams participating in kokpar (a combination of horse racing and wrestling), tenge ilu (picking up coins on a horse), audaryspak (horseback wrestling), zhamby atu (archery on horses), and traditional archery.
“We assess the athletes’ bodies and determine the necessary food and vitamins they need to achieve optimal results. We also plan to monitor the biorhythms of their hearts and organs, and organize their nutrition accordingly,” said Kulnazarov.
According to Doctor of Science Nabidulla Kikebayev, the second group of Kazakh scientists is conducting research to improve the diet and functional state of the horses. This group assesses the training and endurance of horses participating in competitions.
The scientific teams will test athletes and horses at the Olympic Training Center over the course of three months.