In several countries of Central Asia, kok-boru or goat polo, is one of the most popular sports.
Kok-boru is a special type of equestrian polo played by two teams of 6 or 8 people. The "ball" is a freshly slaughtered 35 kilogram goat. The essence of the game is to score points, which is done by throwing the goat into the opponent's goal. The two goals - a round nest-like platform with a diameter of one and a half meter - are at two opposite ends of the playfield.
During our stay in Bishkek, the cup final was being played and luckily we managed to get into the hippodrome. The air was vibrating from afar with the cheers of the spectators. There were a lot of people in the auditorium, they were also standing on the garbage cans, they were sitting on the railing in a circle, and there were even people hanging from the branches of the trees around the hippodrome. It was dry weather, the dust swirled thickly around the pitch, even covering the stands.
While at home the children play soccer in their free time, here the Kyrgyz youth mostly play kok-boru. Many places have simple polo fields where they can play, and at the end of the game they can prepare and eat the "ball" together. Seeing what the poor animal goes through during a match, I think its meat will be thoroughly softened by the end of the day, it's a miracle if there are any intact bones left in the animal.
