World Nomad Games included in UNESCO Intangible Heritage List

The World Nomad Games were included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. This is not just a status, but an opportunity to preserve historical self-identification in the context of globalization. Overall, this year the Organization announced 59 nominations from all over the world. Kyrgyzstan with its idea of holding the World Nomad Games became the number one. According to experts, the nomad competitions were included in the UNESCO list largely because they managed to revive interest in the ethnosport traditions of the nomad cultures of the peoples in the world.

“This platform serves not just to preserve our culture, our sports, national sports, but also helps promote and preserve other national sports. Therefore, today this game is recognized as the international platform for the preservation of cultural heritage,” said Azamat Zhamankulov, Kyrgyz Minister of Culture and Information.

“We are certainly happy to make our contribution, so to speak, to such a big event. We would be glad to be added to the UNESCO list as the world cultural heritage. It will be a great honor for us. After all, it is a very important task to keep traditions and pass them on from generation to generation,” said Ainash Anarbekova, a volunteer.

The idea of holding the ethnosport competitions of nomad peoples was approved back in 2012 at the summit of the Turkic-speaking countries, which was attended by presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey. The first World Nomad Games took place two years after, on the coast of a resort area in Issyk-Kul Lake, two more – later. Competitors from Kazakhstan have always been medal winners.

 

 

Translation by Saniya Sakenova

Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova