World Nomad Games: 5 Sports You’ve Never Heard Of

Effie Frank

Sept. 18, 2025

Now that the dates of the 2026 World Nomad Games have been announced, excitement is starting to build! The games have returned to Kyrgyzstan, its original and spiritual home, which coupled with its beautiful mountains and lakes that serve as a picturesque backdrop for the exciting displays of nomadic traditions, is in our opinion, the best place for the event to be hosted. The opening ceremony will be held in Bishkek, on August 31 ^st , while most of the actual events will be taking place in and around Cholpon Ata, which is near the northern shore of Issyk Kul. The games will continue until the closing ceremony on September 6 ^th .

This will be the 6 ^th edition of the games, and the 5 ^th time our Saiga team is attending! Of course, we’ll be taking a Nomad Games Group Tour along with us, which you can find out more about at the bottom of this blog.

The World Nomad Games has over 40 different games events, most of which are rooted in Central Asian nomadic traditions. You may have already heard of games like Kok Boru (called Buzkashi in some places – it’s like polo, but instead of a ball, teams of players pick up a dead goat off the ground and slam it into the opponent’s goal), but the Nomad Games has a whole host of other events! Here are 5 interesting sports you’ve probably never heard of.

1. Er Enish (wrestling, but on horseback of course!)

If it can be done on a horse, Central Asians will find a way to do it. And it just so happens that wrestling can be done on horseback! The two opponents, always shirtless so there is nothing to latch onto except each other, will square off seated on their horses. The goal is to grab your opponent and pull him off of his horse, without falling off of your own.

The wrestling itself is very exciting to watch, as players tug on each other and quickly move around one another on horseback to try their approach from different angles. However, the most nerve-wracking part can often be after the losing player is thrown to the ground. He’ll lay there for a moment, usually caught underneath the two horses, and as a spectator, you’ll be gritting your teeth, praying he is not stepped on by the hoof of a 2-ton animal!

2. Ordo (a battle simulation with animal bones)

Unlike many of the other Nomad games, Ordo is not a game of physical strength or horsemanship, but of strategy and skill. It is rooted in Kyrgyz history and is said to simulate a battle to capture an enemy’s territory. To play, a 12-meter circle is drawn on the ground to signify the territory meant to be captured. In the center of the circle, a small section is dug out, and the largest bone is placed there. This bone is called the khan , and if you know anything about former Central Asian conquerors, you’ll understand why! The goal for the players is to knock the khan and other sheep joint bones called alchiks/asyks out of the circle by tossing a bat made from a cow’s knee bone, called a tompoi . There are a lot of bones and a lot of rules!

There are two teams of players, each team with the same goal of knocking out the khan and alchiks and therefore capturing the state. A game can last around two hours. Even though strategy is at its center, it is a still a very physical game and players can be in constant motion and need to be flexible and agile. How a player enters the circle to “bat” is very important as well, and there are many rules, even down to which foot a player must enter with.

This game is very important to Kyrgyzstan’s heritage and is considered one of their national games. Because it hones skills of military strategy, it was often used as a training game for warriors. They would even play the game before battle as a sort of rehearsal. Good players must learn not only how to attack the khan, but when to exercise caution.

3. Kyz Kuumai (Chase the girl…literally)

This is a fun one (when everyone involved knows it’s a game, that is)! There are two players, a man and a woman, both on horseback (because, of course). The initial goal for the young man is to chase after the girl in an attempt to get a kiss from her. He will wait at the starting line, while she starts off from behind him. Once she passes him, that is his cue to chase her. If he catches up to her and is able to kiss her before they reach the finish line, he wins the game. If he does not succeed, the game switches! As soon as the woman reaches the finish line, she quickly turns around and chases the man in order to whip him!

Kyz Kuumai is one of Kyrgyzstan’s oldest and most fun to watch games. It is often played before a traditional wedding ceremony, and has become a competitive sport in the modern era.

4. Salburun (hunting animals with other animals)

The honored sport of eagle hunting has deep roots in Central Asian nomad culture, and it is breathtaking to watch. Salburun sportsmen spend years training their eagles and growing a relationship with the bird from the time it is young. The bird’s incredible eyesight can easily spot prey, and its huge talons can take down a fox, though the bird is trained not to completely kill the animal until the hunter arrives on the scene. Taigan hunting dogs are also used to chase and capture the prey, and the hunter, usually mounted on horseback, and his animals work as a team. In competition and in training, a fox skin is used in place of actual wild prey, and the hunter will attach it to a rope which he pulls behind him as he gallops on his horse. His majestic bird will swoop down and capture the fox fur in an instant. Blink and you’ll miss it!

Salburun traditionally not only involves hunting with trained eagles and Taigans, but also mounted archery, though it is broken into different competitions for the Nomad Games. The mounted archery event is another amazing sport to watch, and is a category in which there are a large number of female contestants.

5. Mas-wrestling (fighting over a stick)

There are many different wrestling events at the Nomad Games, but one of our favorites to watch is mas-wrestling. Rather than traditional wrestling, with different holds and grapples, mas-wrestling involves fighting over a stick. The two opponents begin seated, facing each other, each with both of their hands on a stick horizontally between them. Between the two athletes is a short wall on which they brace their feet. Once the referee blows his whistle, the action begins- the players each pull as hard as they can with the goal of bringing the stick to their side, and sometimes the other player along with it. The bouts are usually quick and intense, with lots of agitated grunting and shouting.

The game demands extreme strength of a player’s hands, back, legs, and abdominals. The athletes at the top of this sport are absolutely jacked! It is a sight to behold, watching two giants face off and send one another flying.

Want to visit the Nomad Games?

Do you want to see some of these fantastic games yourself? Join us as we head to the Nomad Games again in 2026! Not only will we attend the games and opening ceremony, but we’ll also visit some of our favorite spots in Kyrgyzstan. We have a tour for those whose main purpose is to see the games, and a longer tour for those that want to experience more of Kyrgyzstan’s culture and natural beauty while you are there. You can check out all of our Nomad Games tour options here . As always, if you have any questions or want to book your spot with us at the games, send us an email at [email protected].