3-day National Sports Festival held in Shymkent

SHYMKENT. KAZINFORM The large-scale ethnic festival the Uly Kazakh Oiyundary (The Great Kazakh Games) tool place in Shymkent bringing together some 1,000 from all over Kazakhstan, Kazinform cites the Instagram account of Kazakh Culture and Sports Minister Askhat Oralov.

The tree-day festival featured kokpar, qazaq kuresi, audaryspak, archery, togyzkumalak, baige and other national sports.

Athletes from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and China took part in the competitions.

The highlight event of the festival became the alaman baige, the 18-kilometer horse race. Some 30 horseback riders from Kazakhstan vied for top honors. A 12-year-old boy from Shymkent won the race.

The competitions were held at the new hippodrome in Bozaryk district. The Minister stressed the new sports facility is ready to host large international competitions. He reminded the Head of State set a task to organize the V World Nomad Games at the highest level in Kazakhstan in 2024.