Introductory meeting of 4th World Nomad Games held in Istanbul

By Emrah Oktay

ISTANBUL (AA) - An introductory meeting of the 4th World Nomad Games, a competition dedicated to traditional games in Central Asia slated for later this month, was held in Istanbul on Thursday.

Türkiye's Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, World Ethnosport Confederation President Bilal Erdogan, World Nomad Games Organization Committee President Hakan Kazanci, Foreign Turks and Related Communities (YTB) Vice President Abdulhadi Turus and Spor Toto Organization President Bunyamin Bozgeyik attended the meeting.

"The countdown has begun, we will organize the world's largest traditional sports event in Iznik," Kasapoglu said, adding that Türkiye is a sporting nation with excellent infrastructure and growing interest in more competitions.

Erdogan, president of the World Ethnosport Confederation, which organizes the competition, said World Nomad Games is the largest traditional sports competition in the world.

"We are working towards strengthening and popularizing traditional sports globally, and making a contribution to the preservation of the world's cultural wealth through sports," he added.

Wolf cub called Otuken, the mascot for the 4th World Nomad Games, scheduled to be held in Iznik, Türkiye from Sept. 29-Oct. 2, was also introduced during the meeting.

The event, taking place after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will attract athletes from around the world. It will host competitions in different disciplines, including wrestling, archery and horse riding. The first three editions took place in Kyrgyzstan.

* Writing by Selcuk Bugra Gokalp