Watching Kok-boru During the World Nomad Games

Arriving at the Hippodrome

For all of your high adrenaline, fast-paced events during the World Nomad Games, the Hippodrome is the place to go. They host all sports such as horse racing, horseback wrestling, and, the main event, Kok-boru. Other than the opening ceremonies, watching all other sports are free of charge. Locals all convene at the local stadium, wearing their best clothes, to cheer for the Kyrgyzstan team. The number of flags waving and earth-shattering chants are more than enough to ensure the Kyrgyz have a huge home-field advantage. After pressing through the mass of crowds at concessions, battling your way through the aisles, take a seat and watch a true display of nomadic skill during the Kok-boru matches. The teams then line up on opposing sides of the field facing the stands. As soon as the whistle blows, the battle begins.

Let the Games Begin

The crowd goes silent as drums and nomadic throat signing echo through the stadium. As the war music intensifies, spectators are brought to imagine that Ghanghis Khan and his hordes of calvary are to march out onto the field at any moment. The two opposing teams ride out onto the field carrying their national flag and uniforms in matching colors. After parading and presenting themselves to the audience, the competitors ride pass each other in single file shaking hands. Despite the rather brutal nature of Kok-boru, the players seem to have a deep respect for their rivals and maintain good sportsmanship while smashing their horses into each other.

Crashing Into Horses

Depending on which teams are playing each other will determine the overall pace of the game. When a native Central Asian country such as Kyrgyzstan plays a team from the United States it is not uncommon for the Kyrgyz to grab the goat and score in the first 15 seconds of the game. On the other hand, when a team from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are going head to head, they will wrestle in the center of the field for half an hour before a player finally breaks away with the goat carcass. When playing against a less experienced opponent, the local Central Asians will typically hand over the goat in some plays in order to even out the score. This only happens when the team already has a substantial lead over their rival, of course. The excitement of the crowd further adds to dramatic nature of the game. As soon as the goat changes hands, the cheers reverberate like a pulse throughout the stadium.

A Full Contact Sport

As the horses collide, the riders will occasionally fall plummeting to the ground. Surprisingly, many of the athletes hop to their feet and chase after their horse as if nothing has happened. When injuries do occur, there is no whistle to stop the game. The hurt player will be dragged off the field, and his replacement will charge head into the fray in his stead. A game of Kok-boru is divided into three 20 minute parts, giving the teams a brief rest before tearing into each other once more. The players then come staggering off the field as the whistle marks the end of a session, players and horses both drenched in sweat and dripping blood.

Scoring a Goat

After pulling away from the cluster of horses with the goat, the rider will bolt towards their team’s ring on either side of the field. Some of the more advanced teams will use actual formations and tactics when approaching their goal.  Riders will ride alongside their teammate in a wall formation in order to block their rivals from swooping in to try and steal the goat. Other players will simply use their momentum to smash directly into the ring and then go flying face first over the reigns into the pit. While falling into the goal grasping a dead goat may be comical, it is usually met with praise and admiration of the crowd. After seeing one of the Kyrgyz players dive in with the goat, a young teenage girl commented how she would love to marry him and be his wife. The American team, in particular, is famous for jumping in after their goat.

National Pride

There are two kinds of teams playing in the Kok-boru tournament during the World Nomad Games, those just playing for fun and those playing to win. Even the American team, which had no hope of taking home the gold, took playing Kok-boru very seriously. As soon as the Kyrgyz team takes the field, the stands erupt in cheers and applause. Flags and hands wave in the air greeting the Kyrgyz team as they parade past, the player’s faces clasped in their hands as a sign of gratitude. The other Central Asian teams took winning just as serious. In the semi-finals Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan battled to the last minute, ending the match 5-4 with Uzbekistan proceeding to the finals against Kyrgyzstan. Many foreign spectators were surprised to see the same team which played so hard the day before getting crushed in the finals. Uzbekistan only scoring 9 goats to Kyrgyzstan’s 32. Talks of Uzbekistan purposely throwing the game were whispered behind covered mouths, but for the Kyrgyz people, it was a victory worth being proud of.

The Highlight of the World Nomad Games

With all the blood, sweat, and passion which goes into playing Kok-boru, it is no wonder that this is the main event of the World Nomad Games. As the games continue to grow and attract international attention, it will also bring in more teams just as it did from the US and France. Unfortunately for Kok-boru fans and curious tourists, the World Nomad Games was sold to Turkey for 7 million USD and will host the games in 2020. Fans can still check out the annual At Chabysh festival and the National Kok-boru circuit to get your fill of goat tossing fun. There is still hope for catching the World Nomad Games again in Kyrgyzstan however.  There is speculation that after four years and two new hosts, the games will return to Cholpon Ata. Till then, we will have to travel a bit off the beaten path to see locals playing a game of Kok-boru.

If you want to see more about Kok-boru click here!