Nomad Games debut in Saudi Arabia with spectacular opening ceremony

An exhibition of the Nomad Games debuted as part of the Ar Rumahiyah King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival on Friday night, with a spectacular opening ceremony. (AN photos by Iqbal Hossain)

• Nomad Village will host a movie venue, “Cinemastan,” showing 90 short films shortlisted from 79 countries
• The event is dedicated to preserving traditional nomadic culture

RIYADH: The Olympic Games may celebrate the world’s oldest sporting tradition, but a relative newcomer, the Nomad Games, offers a fascinating alternative to sports fans.
An exhibition of the games debuted as part of the Ar Rumahiyah King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival on Friday night, with a spectacular opening ceremony.
Teams from over 85 countries will compete in a wide range of events, including horse riding, hunting, archery, wrestling and traditional dance.
The games will take place over a 10-day-period at the Nomad Village, a heritage site built especially for the event. There will also be a marketplace offering traditional products from the competing nations, from food and textiles to artworks and handicrafts from 90 countries, as well as many other family-based activities.
The festival site is divided into sections, including a commercial area, a desert park, and a village center where all fun-filled activities will take place.
Astor Echevoaria, a member of the Argentine delegation, said: “We are glad to be the part of the maiden Nomad Games in Saudi Arabia, and look forward to them flourishing in this part of the world. It’s basically a platform to come together from different parts of the globe, with a message of peace.”
Nomad Village will also host a movie venue, “Cinemastan,” showing 90 short films shortlisted from 79 countries. The movies will depict cultural legends and the stories of significant historical figures, and run every day from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The first Nomad Games were held in 2014 in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, with 580 athletes from 19 countries competing in different sports, and 1,200 people taking part in a cultural program, “Nomad Universe.”
The games are dedicated to preserving traditional nomadic culture, and have become Central Asia’s biggest sporting event. The competition takes place biennially, with the next event to be held in Turkey in 2020.
The village welcomes visitors from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the festival, and entry is free.