More than 80 participants from 9 regions of Kazakhstan, as well as from Turkey, Mongolia, China and Russia, took part in the international berkutchi tournament named after Masip Batyrkhanuly, which concluded in the Akmola Region, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the organizers, the main goal of the event is to widely promote national sports on the international stage. An ethno-village was set up at the competition venue, where demonstration performances in archery and asyk atu were held.
For Mutlu Kyzylbulga, a guest from Turkey, this year's tournament marked his sixth visit to Kazakhstan. He makes no secret of his admiration for Kazakh traditions and the art of hunting with birds of prey itself. This time the trip also brought a sporting result: in the saker falcon competitions he took an honorable third place.
"I love the Kazakh people very much. Hunting with birds is one of the most fascinating arts of the Kazakh people. The golden eagle is even part of the 'Zheti Qazyna.' I would like such competitions to be held in Turkey as well. Then we would invite our Kazakh brothers to join us," the foreign guest shared.
The tournament drew attention not only from professional athletes and participants but also from numerous foreign guests who came to Zerendinsky District as spectators. For them, the spectacle offered a unique opportunity to get acquainted with Kazakhstan's culture, witness the thrilling berkutchi competitions and soak in the atmosphere of a national celebration, leaving foreign guests with the most vivid impressions.
"Among the representatives of the Akmola Region was Yerlan Kenzhitayev, a bronze medalist of the Nomad Games. In addition, an important step for the development of the discipline was the participation of a debutante — a young woman who has been involved in this sport for only about two years — as well as four young athletes. The youngest participant in the competitions was a 14-year-old student of an Akmola school, who helped with the organization and took part in demonstration performances, showing guests all the beauty and grace of the national sport," noted Ardak Tulendin, head of the department of physical culture and sports.
Based on the results of the competitions, Akmola athletes won two of the nine prize places. The geography of national sports development in the region now covers 10 sports schools. Zerendinsky and Burabay districts serve as special training centers, whose students consistently join the national team and represent Kazakhstan on the international stage.