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Dead Goat and Murdered: Afghanistan's Sport | Israel today

2020-07-06T05:54:47.478Z


| Around the worldBozkashi is one of the most popular games in Central Asia. Bone Breaking Game, Buzkashi Player on the Road to Exile // Photo: Gettyimages On a cold March day in the Afghan capital Thakabul, despite the Corona epidemic that started activating cavalry in the country, thousands of civilians from all over the country, even from the Taliban-dominated areas, gathered to watch the first organized nati...


Bozkashi is one of the most popular games in Central Asia.

  • Bone Breaking Game, Buzkashi Player on the Road to Exile // Photo: Gettyimages

On a cold March day in the Afghan capital Thakabul, despite the Corona epidemic that started activating cavalry in the country, thousands of civilians from all over the country, even from the Taliban-dominated areas, gathered to watch the first organized national sporting event for "Bozkashi". 

Bozkashi could have mentioned football, if the players on the field were horseback riding, instead of gates standing in concrete or large white circles and instead of a ball, players would throw a goat's corpse, or calf. In some versions, players use a whip to whip out members of the opposing team. The name means "Pull the goat."


The "gate" to which the players are supposed to throw the goat or calf is called the "circle of justice" and around it often provoke provocations. In modern versions, players are prohibited from hitting each other directly or deliberately dropping a player from his horse. In the past, a single game could last for many days but today the game is limited in time and judges determine the winning team identity.

The game can get pretty violent, so players usually wear a helmet or headgear. In the former Soviet Union, the players wore a hat of Soviet armored soldiers. Many years of training are required to reach a good level of play, so Buzakashi players are considered their peak only in their forties, an age when professional athletes around the world can settle for a spot.



The game, which originated in the Middle Tribes of the Central Asian steppes, is currently played in most Central Asian countries and Afghanistan and Kazakhstan even has a local and regulated league. The game is also played in Kyrgyzstan, where it is the most popular sports industry in the country, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan where it is known as "Kopkar".

And back in that cold morning in the Afghan capital Kabul, when thousands arrived to watch a long tournament of Buzkashi, despite the cold and fear of the pervasive corona epidemic. Over twenty teams from all over the state came to play and the goal of the tournament was to mark both the strong teams in the new league and to find promising players. 



"We want teens from remote villages to know about tournaments so we can identify great talent and select great athletes," said Saifuddin Tanduhan, chairman of the Afghan Bozkashi Association for the local tolo news site.

Zbinahla, a professional Buzkashi player, told the news site that "Bozkashi is our national game and very traditional. If such competitions are held more, we will be able to get more experience. We hope that peace will come to our country and we can play more in the future, also abroad." 

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2020-07-06

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