World Nomad Games to kick off in Türkiye on Thursday

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The fourth edition of the World Nomad Games will begin on Thursday in Türkiye, with more than 3,000 athletes from more than 100 countries competing in 13 different sports branches.

The lakeside town of Iznik in the northwestern province of Bursa is hosting the four-day competition through Sunday after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Nomad Games began in Kyrgyzstan, a project initiated by the government in 2012 to revive and preserve the culture of nomadic civilizations.

Kyrgyzstan hosted the first, second, and third editions of the games in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Under the leadership of the World Ethnosport Confederation, the four-day event will feature horse competitions, wrestling, and archery.

"The mission of the World Nomad Games covers the revival, development, and preservation of the ethnoculture, diversity, and originality of the people of the world in order to foster a more tolerant and open relationship between people," the World Nomad Games said on their official website.

A three-hour opening ceremony kicking off the event will feature Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.