Goat polo, stick-wrestling, bone-throwing on display at 2016 nomad Olympics

The Games, which opened on Saturday on a picturesque mountain plain in eastern Kyrgyzstan, bring together athletes from 40 countries including Russia and the United States.

Olympic Games, stand aside: the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan is hosting the World Nomad Games, a competition where polo players ditch their mallets and try to catch a dead goat instead.

Participants take part in a horse-riding competition during the second World Nomad Games. (AP Photo)

Participants perform during the second World Nomad Games at Issyk Kul lake. (AP Photo)

The Games, which opened on Saturday on a picturesque mountain plain in eastern Kyrgyzstan, bring together athletes from 40 countries including Russia and the United States where nomadic traditions are strong.

Berkutchi (eagle hunters) carry their birds, golden eagles, during the World Nomad Games 2016. (AFP Photo)

The World Nomad Games features such unorthodox sports disciplines as eagle hunting and bone throwing. Arguably the highlight of the games is the horse-riding competition, called Kok-boru, which dates back to when men used to hunt wolves that preyed on their livestock. Fierce competition is also expected in “stick wrestling,” an event in which two competitors try to gain control of a small stick.