Kyrgyzstan decides to legitimize national sports

Amendments to the Law On Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Kyrgyz Republic were considered today at a meeting of the relevant committee of the Parliament.

In particular, the notions «national sports» and «traditional games» are included into the law.

«They are an integral part of the culture of the Kyrgyz people. Many have a centuries-old history, preserved up to this day, having been passed from generation to generation, incorporating the best national traditions. Kyrgyzstan is becoming an example of the development and improvement of national sports and traditional games, folk traditions, the initiator of major international sporting events. The proof of this is the holding of the World Nomad Games in 2014 and in 2016," the background statement says.

«National sports and traditional games in the process of globalization are constantly threatened with total or partial destruction if not included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In March 2016, Kyrgyzstan presented the nomination «Kok boru — traditional equestrian game» for inclusion in this list, so it became necessary to legitimize the concept of «traditional games," the Ministry of Culture added.