Turkey will host the fourth World Nomad Games between 29 September – 2 October. In the giant organization to be held in Bursa Iznik, more than 102 thousand athletes from 3 countries will display their skills in more than 40 competitions. Historian Prof. Dr. Ahmet Tağıl said, “Turkish culture, which developed around nomadic games, has been transferred from generation to generation in terms of ethnographic, folkloric, belief, mythological and similar aspects, and has reached the 21st century. For this reason, it is not just a sports game but a great cultural treasure.”
Work continues at full speed in the Iznik district of Bursa for the fourth World Nomad Games, which is called the Olympics of traditional sports. More than 29 sports competitions will be held, from many categories of wrestling to equestrian sports, from archery to various team games, in the organization that will be attended by more than 2 thousand athletes from 102 countries between September 3 and October 40.
Heads of state, local and foreign sports fans will attend the World Nomad Games as well as athletes. In addition, while the countries exhibit their colorful shows, the traditional oba culture will be kept alive, and universal and local tastes will be experienced.
“The games kept the people living in the steppe fresh”
B.C. Stating that nomadism, which is estimated to have started in the 8th century, reflects the lifestyle of the Central Asian steppes, the history and culture consultant of the 4th World Nomad Games Prof. Dr. Ahmet Tağıl stated that nomadic games were also born from this lifestyle. Tağıl said, “Nomadism is derived from the Turkish verb to migrate. The communities of people who continue their lives by changing places from one place to another are called nomads. Ancient Turkish communities lived by following water and grasslands. Depending on the summer and winter seasons, grazing and sheltering areas were determined, each of the tribes would continue their lives by migrating according to their own pastures. Life in the steppes also required having healthy, strong, durable and dynamic bodies due to difficult conditions. "It was very important to do sports to survive in the vast steppes," he said.
“Many field battles have been won thanks to sports”
Reminding that the Turks, who founded great states, decorated their history with military victories, Tağıl said, “Continuous sports kept people ready for war. In this way, they had a dynamic body, and they were able to defeat the crowded armies with a small number of soldiers. Thanks to the superior development of their physical abilities, their ability to use all kinds of war weapons, they won most of the field battles. Among the most well-known nomadic games, hunting, javelin, horse racing, skiing, wrestling, archery were all sports branches that ensured success in war.
“Not just a sport but a great cultural treasure”
Noting that the nomadic games played for sports purposes became integrated with the lifestyle and became a cultural element after a while, Tağıl said, “Games gained a cultural dimension by organizing festivals, big entertainments and competitions that everyone in the society followed with interest. This situation has always been appreciated because it leads people of all ages to live healthy and happy lives in the society. The Turkish culture, which developed around nomadic games, has been transferred from generation to generation in terms of ethnographic, folkloric, belief, mythological and so on, and has reached the 21st century. "It's not just a sports game, it's a great cultural treasure," he said.
“We will keep our values alive together with the youth”
prof. Dr. Tasagil added that despite decades of centuries, the nomadic games have preserved their originality. Stating that games such as hunting, archery, wrestling, and javelin have survived to the present day, Tağıl continued: “For nomads, sports is life itself. Of course, there are games that are forgotten and that we almost never see anymore. For example, high jump competitions. Unfortunately, the games played with wooden maces in the struggles between the tribes did not survive until today. Games like this would have been much more valuable if they had survived. From this point of view, the organization of the World Nomad Games is extremely important. The target audience of sports is youth. As young people show interest in these games, we keep our values and culture alive. Considering its cultural dimension, it is an organization that can attract the attention of people of all ages.”
World Nomad Games
The 4th World Nomad Games will be held from September 29 to October 2, 2022. The World Nomad Games were held for the first time around Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan in 2014 with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The second event was held in 2016 and the third in 2018. During the 4th World Nomad Games, which will be held under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and under the leadership of the World Ethnosport Confederation, the unifying power of sports will be emphasized while shedding light on the culture of nomadic peoples. More than 100 athletes are expected to participate in the World Nomad Games, in which more than 3 countries will participate.
Who is Ahmet Tasagil?
Having studied at Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, Department of History between 1981 and 1985, Tağıl went to Taiwan to learn Chinese and to do research on Turkish history. In 1987, he became a research assistant at Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of History. He completed his master's and doctoral studies at Istanbul University, Department of General Turkish History. Ahmet Tağıl was promoted to assistant professor in 1992, associate professor in 1995, and professor in 2000. Starting from 1997, he conducted field research in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Southern Siberia and China. The weight of his scientific studies is on Pre-Islamic Turkish History, but also on Central Asian Turkish history from past to present. He has many published books and nearly 200 national and international scientific studies.
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