Kok Boru in Kyrgyzstan
Kok-Boru is a Kyrgyz national sport game, often referred to as "horseback polo," where the ball is a goat carcass. The name of the game translates to "blue wolf" because in ancient times, a group of skilled horsemen would chase a wolf, and the fastest rider would catch it, strike it with a club, and carry it on their saddle. Over time, in the ails (villages), the game evolved into ulak tartish, a tug-of-war with a goat. The game served as a form of training for hunting and warfare, and all men of the ail would participate, honing their horseback riding skills. Nowadays, Kok-Boru remains popular due to its spectacle, despite the game's inherent brutality. Attempts to replace the actual goat carcass with a dummy have not been successful, and the game continues to use a real carcass to this day.
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