Nomad World Games are becoming comparable to the Olympics and the World Cup, says prime minister

Kyrgyzstan handed Russia the hosting baton for the World Nomad Games at the closing ceremony of the sixth edition in Cholpon-Ata on Sept. 6. The seventh Games will be held in Tatarstan in 2028.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev passed over one of the event’s symbols, a suu-kookor, a traditional Kyrgyz leather vessel containing water collected from all regions of the country. Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev and Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov accepted it for the next host.

Minnikhanov thanked Kyrgyzstan for organizing the sixth Games and said Tatarstan planned to draw on its experience. He added that the region would seek advice from the Kyrgyz organizers while preparing the 2028 event.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Kasymaliev said the World Nomad Games had become an international cultural and sporting movement over 12 years. The first edition took place at Issyk-Kul, followed by events hosted by Turkey and Kazakhstan. In 2026, the Games returned to Kyrgyzstan in a larger format and brought together representatives from more than 100 countries.

“The World Nomad Games are gradually becoming a major sporting event comparable to the Olympic Games and the World Cup, eagerly awaited by people around the world,” Kasymaliev said.

He described the Games as more than a sporting event, pointing to their cultural and intellectual dimensions. During the competition, the Kyrchyn gorge hosted presentations of the culture, traditions and daily life of nomadic peoples. Scholars from several countries discussed the history, statehood, languages, culture and worldview of nomadic civilization.

Kasymaliev said the sixth Games took place during Kyrgyzstan’s 35th anniversary of independence and demonstrated the country’s potential. The Games ran from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, with the opening ceremony at Bishkek Arena and the main competitions in the Issyk-Kul region.

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The World Nomad Games are gradually becoming a major sporting event comparable to the Olympic Games and the World Cup, eagerly awaited by people around the world.