3.000 athletes from 102 countries will be meeting in Turkey
for World Nomad Games to be held from the 29th of September to the 2nd of
October 2022.
On the 27th of June 2022, Hakan Kazanci, the chairperson of
the organizing committee indicated that the games will be held for the 4th time
after a two-year break as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are World Nomad Games?
The World Nomad Games come to life in 2012 at the Council of
Heads of States (CHS) in Bishkek, in 2012 in the bid to rehabilitate national
sports disciplines and revive the spiritual consciousness and historical memory
of all once nomadic people around the world. The games are played every
even-numbered year and were first held in 2014, then in 2016, and in 2018.
The event also known as Olympics for nomads showcases nomadic
sports, culture, and lifestyle. Some of the games played during the event
include headless goat polo whereby two teams compete to throw a headless goat
carcass into a goal. There are different types of wrestling matches that competitors
participate in such as Turkish, Turkmen, Tajik, and Azerbaijani.
Iznik district where the event is going to be held is a
cultural hub in Turkey. "From the Hagia Sophia Orhan Mosque and the
Archeology Museum to the Suleyman Pasa Madrassa and the Roman Theater, Iznik
has been the cradle of culture throughout history. Now it will be the world's
sports capital," said Kazanci.
40 different sports are going to be held at this event
including horse riding archery and wrestling. Foreign heads of state including
athletes will participate in these games which will be held under the auspices
of the Turkish Presidency. The event is being organized by the World Ethnosport
Confederation, with the leadership of its president, Bilal Erdogan.
"This year the games will be held around Lake Iznik. We
are preparing a 500,000 square meter area for the event. It will have the
capacity for 5,000 people” said Kuzanci.
“Turkey will take this as an opportunity to promote its local cuisines as well as the traditional Turkic oba culture to international visitors,” he added.
