Are animals transported from abroad: all about preparation for the World Nomad Games
From September 8 to 13 Astana will host the 5th World Nomad Games that will be held in 21 sports. Kazinform News Agency invites readers to know about the preparations to Nomad Games.
How many countries are participating
The World Nomad Games are becoming increasingly international, attracting more and more participants from all over the world each year. More than 2,500 athletes from over 80 countries will take part in the competition.
This year, athletes from Brunei Darussalam, Liberia, Venezuela, Ireland, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Brunei, Ethiopia and Peru will take part in the Nomad Games for the first time.
The last time, 2 years ago, the World Nomad Games were held in the Turkish city of Iznik. The Turks, who organized the competition at a high level, are confident that there will be a tense struggle in Astana.
According to Abduhadi Turus, a member of the board of the World Ethnosport Confederation, Türkiye shares its experience and helps its Kazakhstani colleagues.
“We are united by a common language, history and culture, traditions and customs. We are ready to take part in a large-scale event in Astana. We share our experience. For this purpose, we often met with our Kazakhstani colleagues and worked out the preparatory process. We are confident that the World Nomad Games will be held at a high level this year,” says Turus.
At the 5th World Nomad Games, 120 athletes from Türkiye will take part in 9 sports.
How horses are transported from abroad
The schedule of the World Nomad Games in Astana includes equestrian sports. In this regard, it became interesting to know how foreign athletes will transport animals.
Deputy Head of the Directorate for the Preparation and Holding of the V World Nomad Games Muratbek Kypshakbayev answered this question.
“The directorate will distribute the horses among foreign athletes. Only athletes from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan will come with their horses,” says Kypshakbayev.
According to Kypshakbayev, athletes from the three neighboring countries will load their horses onto special transport and cross the border. Other foreign athletes will be offered the best local horses. In general, in competitions such as horseback wrestling, the result depends more on the athlete's preparation than on the horse.
Kazakhstani airline SCAT Airlines commented on the rules for transporting animals.
“When transporting birds, the cage must be covered with opaque material. When booking transportation, the passenger must provide information about the type, quantity and weight of the animals being transported. Animals are transported as cargo only in isolated areas of the aircraft. When transporting animals in cargo compartments, the weight of the animals is not included in the free carry-on baggage allowance and, considering the weight of the container (cage), is paid for at a special cargo rate,” reports the press service of SCAT Airlines.
The airline noted that large ungulates, bees and fish seed are not accepted for transportation.
Preparation for the games in America
The preparation of American athlete for competitions has already been noticed by many on social media. So, the athlete in the video uses a kettlebell during training, and a homemade wooden setup replaces his horse.
"In 2018, I participated as a member of the American Kok Boru team and was the first American to compete in horseback wrestling. I am incredibly excited to have the chance to compete with the best athletes again during the World Nomad Games. My dream of visiting Kazakhstan is finally coming true - I have been fascinated by this region for a long time and am truly grateful for the opportunity to visit Kazakhstan. I understand that many people view the American Kokpar and horseback wrestling teams as underdogs, but I hope that we can demonstrate our growth since we first started playing," notes the athlete.
Willert previously took part in the World Nomad Games in 2018, as well as the Kok Boru Championship in 2020.
