World Kokpar Championship kicks off in Astana
It is planned that over 300 athletes from 12 foreign countries will compete in the championship. As a result of the draw, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, the USA, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Tajikistan will rival in Group A, whereas Group B includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Hungary, China, and Afghanistan.
Interestingly, the US team will be represented by the cowboys who are professionals in rodeo and other American conventional equestrian sports.
Earlier, captain of the American team Creed Garnick spoke about the chances of his partners in the tournament. He said at the press briefing after the cowboys arrived in Astana that he is glad that his team participates in the kokpar tournament. They work very hard and will demonstrate their newly-acquired skills for the game. They are grateful that they were accepted as the youngest participant in the competition.
According to the rules, the riders will need to get hold of the rubber goat, keep it and throw it over the opposing team's backline. The organizer of the games is the Association of the Turkic Nations Traditional Sports.