Kazakhstan’s National Sports Association Joins World Ethnosport Confederation
Kazakhstan’s National Sports Association Joins World Ethnosport Confederation, Antalya, Türkiye
President Islambek Salzhanov of Kazakhstan’s National Sports Association was recently presented with a certificate of official membership from World Ethnosport Confederation President Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan at the sixth International Ethnosport Forum in Antalya, Türkiye. The forum took place from Feb. 16 to 18 and was a significant event for the association.
Erdoğan expressed his support for the upcoming World Nomad Games in Astana, wishing for their success and asserting that they will contribute to the further consolidation and development of ethnic sports worldwide.
During the forum, the World Ethnosport Confederation signed a memorandum of understanding with national associations for traditional sports. The aim is to create standardized regulations for traditional sports and games within the confederation.
Salzhanov stated that half of the national federations included in the association have received international status or joined existing international organizations. This indicates the growing popularity and development of Kazakhstan’s national sports.
The association proposed several measures to bring all regulations and procedures for ethnic sports development in line with international standards. These measures include standardizing the main sports program of the World Nomad Games, drafting a unified calendar for international competitions, and organizing specialized referee training courses in collaboration with the World Ethnosport Confederation for the forthcoming fifth World Nomad Games, among others.
The forum also showcased the games scheduled for Sept. 8-14 in Astana, with participants from over 60 countries expected to attend.
The event concluded with the conferral of the fifth international prize in traditional sports. Among the awardees from Kazakhstan were Professor Yelemes Alimkhanov from the Department of Physical Education and Sports at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in the academic category and Kazakh Kures (wrestling) athlete Zarina Saripova in the sports category.
