PM Modi to attend opening ceremony of 6th World Nomad Games as Kyrgyzstan showcases traditional sports, culture

PM Modi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday, the second leg of his two-country visit after concluding his state visit to Uzbekistan. During his stay, the Prime Minister will attend the 6th World Nomad Games and participate in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

PM Modi is visiting Bishkek at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov.

The 6th World Nomad Games are being held in Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 6, bringing together athletes and participants from across the world to celebrate traditional sports, culture and the heritage of nomadic civilisations.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek on Monday at 9:00 PM local time. The main events of the Games will be organised across venues in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrchyn and other locations around the Issyk-Kul region.

The World Nomad Games were conceived following the Bishkek Declaration signed in 2012 by Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey at the Summit of the Heads of Turkic States. The first edition was held in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, with subsequent editions taking place in 2016 and 2018 in Kyrgyzstan, 2022 in Iznik, Turkey, and 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The 2026 edition features a wide-ranging sports programme comprising 43 disciplines, including traditional wrestling forms such as Goresh, Kurash and Mongol Bokh, along with Kok Boru, Kekpar, equestrian events, Toguz Kargool, Mangala, Oware, Chuko, Ordo, tug of war and strongman competitions.

India is participating with a delegation of 87 members, comprising 73 athletes, 10 cultural representatives and four participants in the scientific programme.

The cultural programme includes events such as the international ethnic song festival 'Echo of Nomads', Nomad Fest, 'Heritage of Nomads', Art Lab and an Ethno-Bazaar. The Games also feature a science programme focused on nomadic heritage, traditional knowledge and cultural dialogue.

The participation of Prime Minister Modi at the opening ceremony highlights India's engagement with Kyrgyzstan and the broader cultural and people-to-people ties associated with the World Nomad Games.

The Games will conclude on September 6, following which participating delegations will depart from the Issyk-Kul region for Bishkek and onward travel.

Key sporting disciplines at the Games: Goresh: A traditional Turkmen form of belt wrestling. It is an ancient style of hand-to-hand combat where wrestlers wear special belts and attempt to throw their opponent to the ground.

Kurash: Kurash is an ancient Uzbek standing wrestling style where the main goal is to throw your opponent onto their back. Ground wrestling, strikes, chokes, joint locks, and any grips below the belt are strictly forbidden.

Mongol Bokh: Mongol bokh is the traditional folk wrestling style of Mongolia. The objective is to make the opponent touch the ground with any body part other than their feet or hands. There are no weight classes in Mongolian wrestling.

Toguz Kargool: a traditional Central Asian board game belonging to the mancala family. Played with 162 small stone beads ("korgools") on a board of 18 small holes and two larger storage bins ("kazans"), the goal is to capture more stones than your opponent through mathematical calculation and tactical moves.

Mangala: Mangala is a traditional Turkish board game of strategy included as an official intellectual sport. Played on a wooden board with 12 small pits and two larger storage stores, using 48 stones. Players take turns moving stones to capture and accumulate the most pieces in their store.

Oware: An African board game where players move seeds or stones around a board with the aim of capturing more seeds than the opponent.

Chuko: Players use cleaned sheep ankle bones (chuko), sometimes weighted or chosen based on size and density. Players take turns flicking or throwing a heavier striker bone to knock opponent pieces out of a marked circle or line.

Ordo: A large circle drawn on the ground (traditionally 9 to 10 meters in diameter) represents the King territory or camp. Hundreds of sheep knucklebones are piled in the centre inside a smaller inner ring, often featuring a designated "King" bone. Teams take turns flicking or striking their larger shooter bones (sakha) from the perimeter to knock opposing pieces and the central pile out of the circle while keeping their own shooters inside. Players act as military commanders, plotting formations, attacking the centre, and defending their own positions using collective teamwork and sharp accuracy. (ANI)