Leaders converge in Bishkek for Nomad Games opening
BISHKEK, Aug 31 —Leaders from across Asia and beyond gathered in the Kyrgyz capital on Sunday for the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games, an event celebrating traditional Central Asian sports. Among those in attendance were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, as reported by The Straits Times.
The games' opening ceremony took place on Sunday, a day before a scheduled summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which many of the visiting leaders were expected to attend, according to The Straits Times.
Chinese leader skips ceremony amid Tibet floods
Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the opening ceremony, although he did participate in the SCO summit, as reported by The Straits Times. Kyrgyz media reported that Xi stayed away from the ceremony due to flooding and landslides in Tibet, a claim carried by both The Straits Times and The Star.
The Star noted that the opening ceremony occurred on Sunday, Aug 31, ahead of the SCO summit on Monday. The summit is a key reason several heads of state were in Bishkek, and they attended the games' opening as part of their visit.
The games and their participants
The World Nomad Games are a cultural and sporting festival centered on the traditional sports of nomadic peoples, particularly those of Central Asia. Events include horseback archery, wrestling, and board games popular among nomadic cultures, according to The Star. The sixth edition of the games has drawn athletes from 104 countries, organizers said, as reported by The Straits Times.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was received at the ceremony by Kyrgyzstan's President, Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov, according to The Nation. A contingent of Pakistani athletes is participating in the games, which The Nation says feature wrestling, horse racing, traditional animal hunting, archery, and intellectual games. The games are scheduled to run from Aug 31 through Sept 6, according to The Nation.
SCO summit follows ceremony
The opening ceremony took place on the eve of an Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held on Monday, according to both The Straits Times and The Star. The visiting leaders' presence in Bishkek was tied to the summit, and the event drew heads of state who also participated in the opening ceremony.
Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the opening ceremony, though he did participate in the SCO summit. Kyrgyz media attributed his absence to flooding and landslides in Tibet, as reported by The Straits Times and The Star. The reason for his absence was not confirmed by Chinese officials in the reports available.
The games, founded in 2014, aim to preserve and promote the nomadic heritage of Central Asia. The ceremony featured musical performances and Olympic-style parades by national teams, according to The Star.