00:00Some have referred to this event as the Olympics of Central Asia, but here you won't find track
00:07and field, figure skating or breakdancing for that matter.
00:11Instead, the World Nomad Games feature traditional ethnic sports and games played by the nomadic
00:17people that have been traversing these lands for centuries.
00:21However, over the years, even more stationary cultures have started taking an interest in
00:27these somewhat unique sports.
00:30The ancient game of Khokpar dates back, some say, to Genghis Khan's early 13th century
00:37mounted warriors.
00:38But in more recent years, and in part thanks to the Nomad Games, cowboys from the United
00:44States have taken up the sport.
00:462016 World Nomad Games, we were invited by the U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz.
00:51Friends who know friends at the embassy said we can bring cowboys that can play.
00:54The horses are bridged between the two cultures.
00:57Since the first Nomad Games in 2014 in Kyrgyzstan, the competition has grown from just 583 participants
01:05to over 2,500 coming from 89 different countries competing in 21 sports at six venues across
01:13the Kazakh capital.
01:15Another popular sport here in the games is the powerful Nomad, essentially the strongest
01:20man competition where men carrying the heaviest weight try to lift the highest, pull the farthest
01:26and last the longest.
01:28There are five disciplines including carrying of a 100-kilogram stone, throwing a 10-kilogram
01:35javelin and lifting a 130-kilogram log on their shoulders.
01:40Chinese strongman Dan Yi did quite well, but hopes more people from his country will compete
01:46in future Nomad Games.
01:49I hope more Chinese people will like power and sports.
01:54China is very strong, so I hope the world will see China's strength.
02:02Traditional folk games are taking place in Astana's Alau Ice Palace sports stadium, such
02:07as Asik Atul, where players try to knock out from a circle Asiks, literally the dried knee
02:13joints of a sheep or a ram.
02:16The player who knocks out eight Asiks first becomes the winner.
02:47Some of the sports here are seen in many cultures, such as archery and the familiar tug-of-war,
02:56but the games aren't only about physical capacities, but also intellectual strength.
03:02The World Nomad Games are held every two years, with each competition adding more and more
03:08disciplines and athletes, as nomadic cultures come together as one.
03:13Natalie Carney for CGTN, in Astana.
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