Afghanistan’s national buzkashi delegation has travelled to Kyrgyzstan for the sixth World Nomad Games. The 12-member group includes 10 chapandaz riders and will be led by federation chief Haji Sarwar Jalal.
KABUL | By SARA AMIRI
Afghanistan has sent a 12-member buzkashi delegation to Kyrgyzstan to compete at the sixth World Nomad Games, the country’s sports authorities said on Tuesday.
The General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports told Pajhwok Afghan News that the team departed on September 1.
The delegation comprises 10 chapandaz riders and a coach. Pajhwok identified its leader as Haji Sarwar Jalal, head of the Buzkashi Federation.
The sixth World Nomad Games are being staged in Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 6, according to the official event website.
Organisers said athletes from 104 countries had registered for this year’s edition, Reuters reported. The programme includes horseback archery, wrestling and traditional board games.
Afghanistan’s participation places one of the country’s best-known traditional sports on an international stage. Buzkashi is played on horseback, with riders contesting possession and attempting to carry the scoring object into the designated goal area.
Afghan chapandaz riders compete in a buzkashi match in Mazar-e-Sharif in 2007. File photo: Gideon Tsang/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0; cropped to ASJFNews format.
