Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Hosts Multinational Sports Fest Celebrating Peace and Unity

The 24th International Sports Games of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states have officially kicked off in Kyrgyzstan.

Held from September 4 to 12 on the picturesque shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, this year’s event carries the unifying motto: “Asia - Region of the Commonwealth and Peace,” The Caspian Post reports via Kyrgyz media.

The program features a wide array of both traditional and national sports, including:

Arm wrestling, streetball, volleyball, kettlebell lifting, darts, athletics, mini-football

Mas-wrestling, table tennis, tug-of-war, swimming

National games such as buka tartysh, oorduktardy tashuu, and Kyrgyz kurosh wrestling

Beach sports: soccer, volleyball, rugby, sambo, wrestling

Martial arts: sumo, belt wrestling (alysh), and ssireum

Plus, track and field races for both men and women

The event brings together amateur athletes from across the region, including Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, and Mongolia.

The Issyk-Kul Games are traditionally held under the auspices of the Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund of the CIS, which also provides financial support for the event.