Sports in Kyrgyzstan
The sport in Kyrgyzstan is characterized by a mixture of traditional sports from the history of the Kyrgyz people and modern sports that are enjoying increasing popularity in the Central Asian country.
After independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan also appeared in sport independently of the Soviet Union . A national Olympic committee was established in 1991 and accepted by the IOC in 1993. Since 1994 in Lillehammer , Kyrgyzstan has participated in all winter games, but so far without a medal. Kyrgyzstan has been represented at summer games since Atlanta 1996 and has so far won two silver and one bronze medals.
Traditional sports
The traditional sports in Kyrgyzstan are still popular today as a relic of the way of life and tradition of the Kyrgyz tribes. These sports hardly receive any international attention. An important stage for the traditional sports of the nomads are the World Nomad Games , where athletes from 40 countries in Kyrgyzstan pursued the traditional sports of the country and the Central Asian region in 2016.
Kok-boru
Kok-boru is the national sport in Kyrgyzstan and is partly similar to polo . Two teams of riders try to bring the body of a dead goat into the opposing field. Extensive steppe landscapes often serve as the playing field, there are hardly any rules, so the game is correspondingly tough. The sometimes very long games are traditionally played in smaller villages on weekends and on special occasions.
Oodarysh
Oodarysh is another traditional sport in Kyrgyzstan, which is also played at the World Nomad Games. This is a form of wrestling that takes place in the saddle. A duel lasts ten minutes, the winner is the one who manages to knock his opponent off his horse. Oodarysh is one of the most popular sports, especially in rural areas.
Kyz kuu
Another Kyrgyz equestrian game is Kyz kuu , in which a woman and a man compete against each other and chase each other at a gallop. First the man tries to catch up with the woman, he wins if he succeeds in kissing the woman. After a turning point, the woman is the huntress and wins if she touches the man with a riding whip.
Team sports
Team sports, which are widespread worldwide, are also enjoying growing popularity in Kyrgyzstan.
Soccer
In 1992 the Kyrgyz Football Association was founded. The largest stadium in the country is the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek , where the matches of the Kyrgyz men's national team are played. With the top league there is a national soccer league in which clubs from the big cities of Bishkek and Osh dominate. The record champions are FK Dordoi Bishkek .
The national team , which nicknamed the White Falcons bears, has the 95th place in the FIFA world rankings. The 2019 Asian Cup, for which the national team was able to qualify for the first time, was quite successful for Kyrgyzstan when they made it to the round of 16, where they only lost 3-2 in extra time against the later semi-finalists United Arab Emirates.
ice Hockey
Another popular team sport in Kyrgyzstan is ice hockey. The national team of the Central Asian country developed accordingly . At the Asian Winter Games 2011 Kyrgyzstan was able to win all games in the second division, the highlight being a 23-2 win against the Philippines. In 2019 , the country took part in the IIHF World Championship for the first time and remained unbeaten in terms of sport.
Individual sports
Kyrgyzstan has so far been able to win the only Olympic medals in individual sports.
Wrestling
Kyrgyz athletes are particularly successful in wrestling, where some of them are among the best in the world. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Kyrgyz wrestlers Ruslan Tiumenbaev and Kanatbek Begaliev won the silver medal in their weight classes in the Greco-Roman style . The success of Kyrgyz athletes can also be explained by the fact that wrestling is most similar to the country's traditional sports.
Judo
Kyrgyz athletes are competitive in numerous martial arts, athletes from the country have already competed in boxing, taekwondo and especially judo. The Kyrgyz judoka Aidin Smagulov won bronze in the extra lightweight .
Cycling
Kyrgyzstan is considered a wonderful country for cyclists and can also offer challenging routes due to the partly mountainous landscape. With the Silk Road Mountain Race , an extremely demanding race takes place in Kyrgyzstan every year, with an international field of participants at the start.
billiards
In the Russian billiard variant , Kyrgyzstan is one of the most successful nations. A Kyrgyz world champion was four times, three times the record world champion Kanybek Sagynbajew and once Dastan Lepschakow . In addition, Kanat Sydykow and Asis Madaminow each won the bronze medal twice. The three-time world champion Qanybek Saghyndyqow also comes from Kyrgyzstan, but he competed for Kazakhstan.
In 2005, Kyrgyzstan won the bronze medal at the World Team Championship .
Individual evidence
- ^ Kyrgyzstan - National Olympic Committee (NOC). July 31, 2019, accessed August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Kyrgyzstan - at the olympics - olympic medals and facts. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Whimsical sports event: World Nomad Games. September 6, 2016, accessed August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ gonomadtravel: Dead Goat Polo: National Sport of Kyrgyzstan. November 1, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2019 (American English).
- ^ National Games of Kyrgyzstan. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Asian Cup 2019 results - FlashScore.com (ResultsLive.com). Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Football Asia Cup: The Central Asian teams just before the sensation. In: Novastan German. January 25, 2019, accessed on August 19, 2019 (German).
- ↑ 2011 Asian Games. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ^ IIHF - Asia. Retrieved on August 19, 2019 .
- ^ Kyrgyzstani Medals in Wrestling in the Olympic Games. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ^ Sports, Kyrgyzstan. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ^ Kyrgyzstani Medals in Judo in the Olympic Games. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Cycling in Kyrgyzstan. Retrieved August 19, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Silk Road Mountain Race - August 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2019 (British English).
- ↑ Командный Кубок Мира 2005 по пирамиде. In: tournamentservice.net. Retrieved June 20, 2020 .