This year’s annual World Nomad Games took place last week on the shores of Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, with athletes from over 40 countries participating in the events.
The mission of the Games is to revive and preserve the historical and cultural heritage of nomadic people from different civilisations all over the world through a series of traditional events. It offers spectators the chance to see nomadic sports as they would have been in their original form.
The programme of the five day event included grand opening and closing ceremonies, 23 different spectacular sporting events, culture exhibitions and concerts as well as scientific conferences on nomadic civilisation. Last week marked the second time the Games were held since 2014, and saw a series of traditional nomadic yurts being crafted for the event.
Events at the World Nomad Games included martial arts, horse racing, archery, wrestling and falconry in an impressive display of skill and stamina. The Games saw participants from countries such as Mongolia, India, Italy, Brazil, Finland and Iran taking part.
The Kyrgyz Republic is located in the north eastern part of Central Asia, with 90% of the region standing at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level.