Hungarian team proves at 5th World Nomad Games that we may be descendants of ancient steppe Nomad empires

The 5th World Nomad Games hosted in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, brought a series of Hungarian gold, silver and bronze medals proving that we may be descendants of ancient Nomadic empires who once ruled the steppe. Hungary sent 47 athletes to the Kazakh capital, who won 8 medals, securing 7th place for Hungary, preceding Central Asian states like Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, or Mongolia.

5th World Nomad Games: almost 2,500 athletes from 89 countries

According to the official website of the Kurultaj, the tribal assembly of the Hun-Turkic nations, hosted annually in Hungary’s Bugac, Hungary sent a delegation of 47 athletes to Astana this year. Interestingly, the preliminaries were organised by a Hungarian civic body, the Magyar Köböre és Hagyományőrző Sportok Szövetsége, an organisation of traditional sports. They aimed to select those athletes who can represent their country successfully and make us proud. If we take a look at the medal table, we can state they did perfect work.

Hungary’s flag in the first row. Photo: Astana Times

The event welcomed 2,430 athletes from 89 countries who competed for 97 sets of medals across 21 sports. Notably, the participants competed in 21 different sports, from traditional archery to horseback archery, from tug of war to mas-wrestling. You may check out the types of competition HERE.

In the overall team standings, Kazakhstan secured first place. Kyrgyzstan’s athletes took second, and Uzbekistan completed the top three.

Science, culture, dance, concerts

Interestingly, the World Nomad Games did not only contain sports events. There was a scientific programme with events like “Nutrition of the Nomads in Central Asia” and “Archery as a common heritage”. There was also an international scientific and practical conference titled “Nomads: History, Knowledge, Lessons” with participation from leading experts from 12 countries worldwide. The cultural programme, running parallelly with the sports events, included concerts and parades.

The first gold of the Hungarian team was secured by László Koczka, an athlete of the Hungarian Turan Association, in traditional archery (bottom right image below). But we won medals in horseback wrestling and other sports as well. For example, a Kazakh woman who moved to Hungary 14 years ago, Zhanargul Bakhtygereikyzy and her team secured a remarkable bronze in the Kazakh traditional game of assyk (knucklebone). Assyk is one of the oldest and most popular outdoor nomadic games.

Mrs Bakhtygereikyzy in the centre and her assyk team. Photo: Astana Times

Kazakh-Hungarian ties strengthening

“Driven by her passion for preserving and promoting Kazakh traditions abroad, she established a cultural organisation in Budapest to teach the Kazakh language and traditional games“, the Astana Times wrote about her. Bakhtygereikyzy said their centre was increasingly popular among Hungarians. She added her team, which won bronze, consisted of amateur athletes practising in parks by drawing lines with chalk. “Significant work has already been done, and even more is yet to come. If we do some research and transmit it to the broader audience, assyk can become very popular in Hungary“, she added.

The 6th World Nomad Games will be held in Kyrgyzstan in 2026, as it was announced in the closing ceremony in Astana, an event spectators could not participate in, only the athletes. The World Nomad Games is a major international sporting event aimed at preserving and promoting traditional ethno-sports and cultural heritage, their website said.

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