Men on horseback wrestle at full speed over a dummy goat or try to wrestle each other off horseback; birds of prey circle around to assist people in hunting; women in elaborate garments shoot bows and arrows. In Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, scenes are taking place these days that are rather unusual for sport – at least from a western perspective. The reason for this activity is the World Nomad Games, the Olympic Games of the former nomadic peoples of Central Asia, which take place every two years.
However, the games are also open to non-nomadic peoples. A total of around 80 countries are taking part, competing in 20 disciplines. The program includes many sports involving horses, skill games and board games, wrestling and hunting competitions. A German delegation of seven athletes is also currently in Astana, including Stephanie Behrendt, 41, an archer from near Wetzlar in Hesse.
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Behrendt, who is actually a teacher of mathematics and physics, is the only German gold medalist at the Games so far. She won a few years ago in Kyrgyzstan in the 60-meter thumb archery event, in which the arrow is drawn with the thumb instead of the index finger as is usual in Europe. Together with two other archers and colleagues from school, Behrendt is in Astana until Sunday, taking part in competitions, watching other sports and soaking up the experience. “It’s really strange when you see two large groups of men fighting over a goat’s torso,” she says.
The athletes sleep in hotels; there is no equivalent to the Olympic Village. But everything is very well organized, says Behrendt on the phone, and shuttle buses bring the almost 3,000 athletes to the competitions. Yurts, the traditional tents of the nomads, are nowhere to be found in the ultra-modern metropolis of Astana. The capital of the country, which is quite wealthy thanks to oil and minerals, looks more like Dubai: skyscrapers, high gloss, magnificent buildings.
“This return to nomadic culture, as represented in the World Nomadic Games, is constructed,” says Manja Stephan, Professor of Central Asian Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin. The nomadic way of life has a hard time in the societies of Central Asia because of its association with backwardness, but it should nevertheless serve as a cultural role model, as the national guiding culture of these countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, which also included large parts of the original areas of the nomadic peoples, many states struggled to find their national identity. In order to at least partially fill this gap, countries like Kyrgyzstan returned to their origins, to the nomads who had shaped the culture of these areas for centuries. In order to anchor these in society again and strengthen traditions, Kyrgyzstan hosted the first World Nomadic Games in 2014.
Sport and identity are also closely linked at the games in Astana. “It’s also very much about culture here; for example, we wear traditional clothing when we go archery,” says Behrendt. The competitions at the World Nomad Games sometimes seem martial, reminiscent of violent tribal conflicts, such as the goat polo described at the beginning, the most popular sport at the games. However, the way people treat each other is fair and characterized by great respect; athletes from non-nomadic countries are also celebrated; everything is a great sense of togetherness: “The people here are happy that we from Germany are here,” says Behrendt.
“Sport is being used as a soft power strategy, similar to what Qatar does in football, for example.”
Stephan from Humboldt University also sees political motives in the games: “Sport is being used as a soft power strategy, similar to what Qatar does in football, for example.” Squeezed between the superpowers China and Russia, Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world by area, is trying to improve and consolidate its status in the region. In addition, the games have a sometimes more, sometimes less strong nationalistic tone. Turkey hosted the 2022 games, and at the time nationalism and grand staging overshadowed sport.
For the region and the athletes from all over the world, they are above all one thing: a festival, a celebration of the cultural heritage of the nomads. 20,000 people watched the opening ceremony, the competitions were broadcast live, and presidents from the region were guests. This time, the German delegation around Behrendt did not manage to win a medal; the archers finished the competitions in a good midfield position. Hosts Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have always dominated the medal table, with major Olympic nations such as the USA, China and Germany far behind. But even without a medal, Behrendt feels comfortable. “The atmosphere here is very good, everyone is friendly and interested,” she says.
Curiosity about how one can hit targets with a bow from a horse brought her into contact with the special competitions. Today, she provides friends and family from home with pictures from Astana via a WhatsApp channel so that they too can gather a few impressions of the food, culture and traditions of the nomads – and marvel at the strange competitions such as goat polo.