Putin, Xi, and Iranian leadership attend Nomad Games opening ceremony.

By Robbert Wijtman

 

 

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, August 31-September 6, 2026 - The Shanghai Cooperation Group plans to attend the opening ceremony of the sixth Nomad Games in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. With Russian, Chinnese, Indiain, Pakistane, Iranin,and Belarus leadership to attend. .

 

Around a dozen heads of state are in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The group brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Moscow-allied Belarus. Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian from Iran, as well as India's Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif are due to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.  On top of its 10 members, it now has 15 "dialogue partners", including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It also has two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia.  While the bloc claims to represent some 40 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of global GDP, it remains diverse, with some disagreements among members. Russia and China compete for influence in Central Asia -- a resource-rich region crucial for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia -- while Beijing at times has had strained relations with India and Pakistan.

Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov has invited all of them to attend the opening ceremony of the Nomad Games, scheduled to start on Monday, 31st of August. The Games run from the 1st to the 6th of September. The athletic events include many traditional combative styles and horse events. Some of the events the SCO leaders will enjoy are:

Alysh ( belt wrestling)

Salburun, a sport mixing falconry and mounted archery 

Kourach, also known as Kurash, a form of traditional wrestling

Kok-boru, a sport similar to Buzkashi, where riders fight for a goat carcass. .

At Chabysh, bareback horse racing 

Er enish, Horse Wrestling

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The rules for Er enish, horse wrestling, are as follows:

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• If a wrestler keeps a hold on his opponent for 3 seconds, he earns 1 point.

• If a wrestler manages to unbalance his opponent, so the opponent has to hold onto his horse to avoid falling, he earns 2 points.

• If a wrestler manages to hold his opponent's hand behind his back without unseating him, he earns 2 points.

• If a wrestler tries to avoid his opponent's hold, he receives a passivity warning, and his opponent earns 1 point.

• If a wrestler holds the opponent's horse by the reins, he gets a warning, and his opponent earns 1 point.

• If a wrestler causes his opponent to fall from his horse, he earns 4 points.

The game can also be played in teams, in which case each team's cumulative score determines its ranking in the competition.

The seventh edition of the biannual Nomad Games will be in Russia in 2028.

According to official announcements, President Sadyr Japarov confirmed during the ceremony that Russia had submitted an official letter expressing its readiness to host the event, and the decision was confirmed at the highest levels, including statements from President Putin.

Kazan is a major cultural and historical city in the Volga region, known for its blend of Russian and Tatar heritage, and will serve as the main venue for all sporting and cultural programs of the seventh Nomad Games.