TURKPA attended the inauguration of the 5th World Nomad Games in Astana

TURKPA delegation headed by Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er participated in the opening ceremony of the 5th World Nomad Games hosted by the Republic of Kazakhstan and organized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana on 8-13 September 2024. The 5th World Nomad Games organized in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, under the motto “The Gathering of the Great Steppe”, involves more than 2 thousand athletes in 21 traditional sports from 89 countries. On 8 September 2024, the grand opening ceremony at the Astana Arena Stadium was attended by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolayev, former President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Bilal Erdoğan, heads and representatives of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Turkic Investment Fund as well as representatives of international organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, European Union and CICA. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his speech officially announcing the start of the 5th World Nomad Games, said that the Games were a special project in terms of passing on the priceless heritage to younger generations. President Tokayev also expressed his belief that the World Nomad Games would help to strengthen international solidarity. Furthermore, the President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Bilal Erdoğan delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Secretary General Mehmet Süreyya Er also participated in the inaugural events with high-ranking invited guests. On the first day of the sports competition, Secretary General and the accompanying delegation had the opportunity to watch kokpar and traditional archery competitions at Kazanat Hippodrome and visited the tents in the World of Nomads Ethno Village built within the scope of the event. In addition, the delegation visited the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan as part of the scientific program of the Games. The World Nomad Games are international sports competitions in ethnic sports. The competition is based on the sports games of the historically nomadic peoples of Central Asia. The World Nomad Games, the first of which was held in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic in 2014, are held every two years. The Games were hosted by the Kyrgyz Republic three times so far, and in 2022, the Republic of Türkiye hosted the Games in the city of Iznik. The World Nomad Games are included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.