Beldesu tournament with 20 mln prize pool to be held in Kazakhstan
According to the chairman of the Kazakh kuresi development foundation Kazakhstan Barysy, Arman Shurayev, the tournament on the revived and updated, national martial art officially registered as beldesu, will be held on May 7-8 at the international ski jumping complex arena in Almaty.
Beldusu was popular until the XX century. Paluans would wrestle bare-chested wearing brown pants and red or blue belts. According to the rules, if one of the wrestlers falls to the ground, or touches it with the knee, hand or other parts of his body, he is considered to be defeated.
In beldesu it is forbidden to hurt or strangle the opponent on purpose. Wrestlers are allowed to throw, pull, and push each other. The opponents go form a neutral position, they are allowed to grab each other above the belt. It is not allowed to grab an opponent below the belt, the wrestler who does so is considered defeated.
The bouts last for 5 minutes. In case of an equal score, 3 extra minutes are awarded. If the score is still equal after additional time, wrestlers are weighed and the victory is awarded to the lightest one.
Given that the rules of the beldesu are very simple and the participants do not need expensive gear, anyone over 18 years old can try themselves in the tournament.
The prize pool of the Halyk Barysy is said to be around 20 million tenge. More than 1,000 wrestlers from all regions of the country are expected to take part in it.
The opening ceremony will be held on May 7 with the bouts themselves taking place on the next day.
President of the international federation of Kazakh Kuresi, Kanat Bozumbayev stressed that in his program article The Course towards the Future: Modernization of Kazakhstan's Identity, the Head of State says "Without reliance on national and cultural roots, modernization will be left hanging in the air. And I want it to stand firm. Thus, history and national traditions must be taken into account." And, according to him, these lines fueled the idea of reviving the ancient martial art, bringing modernity and relevance into this matter.
"It will be a grandiose show, a real celebration in an exclusively national spirit," Kanat Bozumbayev concluded.