5,000-year-old ancestral sport kept alive by Kyrgyz Turks

One of the oldest ancestral sports of the Turks has continued to exist in the Ulupamir village of Türkiye's Van province, where Kyrgyz Turks reside. Kök Böru, a sport played by capturing a goat on horseback, is a synthesis of traditional practices, performances and the game. It is played by two teams on horseback that attempt to maneuver a goat's carcass and score by putting it into the opponent's goal. Kök Böru was registered by Kyrgyzstan on the UNESCO representative list of an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2017. Kyrgyz Turks who moved from the Pamir plateau in northern Afghanistan in the early 1980s to the Erciş district in Van province want to pass the game on to future generations through the Ulupamir Kök Böru Sports Club that they have established. Vice president of the club, Umit Caglar, told Anadolu Agency about the war game and noted that Kök Böru has a history of more than 5,000 years. He said the sport is not only unique to Kyrgyz and Kazakhs but it is one of the oldest sports of the Turks and noted that his community needs support for the promotion of Kök Böru.