American cowboys to compete in Kokpar events at 5th World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan
Kazakh tourism and sport minister Yermek Marzhikpayev met with a US delegation including American famed rodeo cowboy Kaycee Field and leader of the US Kokpar team Ladd Howell, Kazinform News Agency cites the press service of the Ministry of tourism and sport of Kazakhstan.
The meeting discussed the promotion of equestrian sports, Kokpar and American rodeo in the two countries as well as the upcoming 5th World Nomad Games set to be held in Kazakhstan this year. The representatives of the American delegation expressed readiness to take part in Kokpar competitions as part of the Games. The US Kokpar team led by Ladd Howell already competed in the World Nomad Games in 2018 and 2022.
Kokpar is one of the old games of nomads. The game has been played for centuries. In fact, it is a spectacular game. Kazakhstan has the Kokpar Federation, organizing competitions in many cities and villages each year. During the previous Nomad Games, Kazakh kokpar players claimed gold, therefore we have high hopes of our athletes. I’d like to note that we’ve heard of your team as one of the top ones in this sport. It’s encouraging that you actively take part in equestrian games of nomadic peoples of Central Asia and promote them in the US. We believe that the performance of your team will be one of the greatest, said Marzhikpayev.
During the meeting, the Kazakh tourism and sport minister invited the US guests to take part in the ceremony of launching the countdown board of the 5th World Nomad Games in Astana. For their part, the delegation’s members proposed to add American rodeo to the program of the demonstration performances of the Games.
