President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the opening ceremony of the 5th World Nomad Games.
The event at the Astana Arena stadium was attended by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolayev, former President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar, President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Bilal Erdoğan, heads of international structures such as UNESCO, CICA, UN World Tourism Organization, Organization of Turkic States, TURKSOY, Turkic Investment Fund, Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, Islamic Organization for Food Security, as well as the European Union Special Representative for Central Asia and other officials.
At the commencement of the ceremony, children representing various ethnic groups in Kazakhstan presented the national flag, after which the national anthem was played.
Then the traditional parade of delegations of participating countries took place. This year's Games will feature athletes from a diverse range of regions, including Asia, Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Australia.
In his speech, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his gratitude to the leaders of brotherly states, distinguished guests and athletes who came to Kazakhstan to participate in an important event of international scale.
As the President stressed, nomadic civilization has left a deep mark in world history.
– Since ancient times, the nomads of the Great Steppe have lived in Eurasia. The new technologies they developed provided the impetus for the global progress. Five thousand years ago nomads domesticated the horse and shaped a horseback riding culture that spread across the world. Masters of the steppe created advanced weapons and crafted marvelous jewelry. The archeological discovery of the Golden men of the Saks period is a bright testimony to that. The Kazakh land is home to outstanding historical figures like Al-Farabi and Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, who made a significant contribution to the development of science and humanistic ideas. Our ancestors created strong states and built beautiful medieval cities in the Great Steppe, including Otyrar, Turkestan, Taraz, and Saraishyk. Serving as a bridge between East and West, nomads played a crucial role in the rapprochement of various cultures. These spacious lands at various times saw the rise of the Hun empire and the Turkic Khaganates, and later the Golden Horde and the Kazakh Khanate, – the President said.
According to the Head of State, the Nomad Games are a special project inspired by the creative goal of protecting the priceless heritage to pass it on to the future generation.
– We are grateful to our Kyrgyz brothers for hosting the first of these tournaments 10 years ago. This is the biggest sports competition of its kind in the world, so to say, the Olympics of nomads. These games promote nomadic civilization at the global level. Sport itself is a symbol of respect and solidarity. Its key purpose is to strengthen friendship among nations. Kazakhstan is known to everyone as a land of peace and coexistence. Indeed, various ethnic and religious groups coexist peacefully here. We have established close ties with both neighborly and distant countries. We wish to see other states also live in harmony with each other. I am confident that the Nomad Games will help foster international solidarity, – noted Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Then the audience was shown a theatrical performance, which was dedicated to the rich culture and history, traditions and customs of nomadic civilization, as well as to the preservation of our common home – the Earth.
Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 5th World Nomad Games Roman Sklyar and President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Bilal Erdoğan also spoke at the gala event.
