If Central Asia is the world’s undiscovered paradise, then its World Nomad Games are the world’s undiscovered gathering. Nobody should consider it cheap clickbait when a travel blogger described them as ‘better than the Olympics’.
The games date back to 2014 and since then have gone from being a casual affair between actual nomads to a major international event, fast becoming a must-see for hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. WNG today, still complete with authentic nomads, also now features competitors who, by day, grace the corporate world in the smartest of suits.
Sam Pollard agrees, and this is a guy who has experienced it first-hand, as he has competed. He took part in the 2024 WNG when it was held in the Kazakh capital of Astana, and went back home to London with everything but the coveted gold medal, as his week-long stay in the country earned him and his tug of war team honour worth more than any precious metal, ribbon or not.
The 2024 World Nomad Games was not the first time that Great Britain had sent any full team to take part, as the intellectual games team had been at the previous two editions, but it became the British debut in the physical sports. The ubiquitous game of tug of war is not a uniquely nomadic tradition, which meant that Sam, on learning of the games, was excited to know that he could participate.
The openness and hospitality that Team GB encountered when they came to contest the most recent games was the lasting memory for Sam and his team, and win or lose, they are all keen to head to Kyrgyzstan in September for the 2026 version, once again, a small but dedicated team. Only this time, we factor in the addition of other competitors in some of the other disciplines. A slightly larger, just as committed group of athletes, perhaps never destined to rival Luke Littler in terms of marketing oomph, but flying the flag for their country and, just as importantly, helping WNG achieve its potential as a global spectacle.
Sam Pollard, a recent graduate and economist in London, is one of the tug of war team, and while the ‘actual’ GB tug of war squad, last year’s world champions, is a separate bunch entirely, Sam is visibly proud to call his group the ‘Nomadic Team’.
The above two teams don’t have any members in common, but to me, that makes this all the more touching; the fact that Team GB is heading over in September to do battle from the heart, rather than cherry-picking a team guaranteed to win. The fact that they don’t have a professional organising committee running the show, the fact that they are all paying their own tickets and expenses, plus, for some of them, taking the strain by losing income from missing work.
I’d say, ‘take a bow’ already, but it’s not a posture very much conducive to a strong stance on the, er, oche? (Does the tug of war zone have a special name? Perhaps we should go with oche, it might do wonders for the oomph factor).
saqtimes.kz had the honour of speaking to Sam Pollard about his experience of the World Nomad Games and his hopes for the forthcoming edition. I began by confessing that I had no idea there was a Team GB involved in these games until recently, but that I could see they had enjoyed starting a new trend.
“That whole week of the 2024 World Nomad Games was probably like the best week of my life, honestly. It was just amazing!” he said, as I listened, unsurprised and approving.
“The stadiums, the number of fans and how genuinely hospitable the people of Kazakhstan were to us, I thought that was absolutely amazing. I honestly think they are the nicest people I’ve met from any country.”
None of his team had been to Kazakhstan before, but when they arrived, it wasn’t just the locals who made them feel so welcome; there was also a strong feeling of togetherness among the athletes.
“Sure, the fierce competitive nature was there, but also the community between athletes, like in the hotels, you’d be talking to, say, members of the US kokpar team, horseback archers from Switzerland, wrestlers from Canada, and there was a really good sense of community.”
There’s a USA kokpar team? You learn something new every day, and that includes that there are Swiss horseback archers, too. There are also a few Brits taking part in that very discipline this year, but that’s one for a bit later.
Kokpar was the first nomadic sport that Sam Pollard ever heard of, and this came out of a fascination with Central Asia upon graduating, and a time when many British grads were heading out to Vietnam and other comfort-zone places; Sam decided that his big trip would be off the beaten track, which is ultimately how he ended up as a competitor in the World Nomad Games. And that brings us up to date, as he explained that his team are shortly due to meet in London for a training camp.
It’s (probably) not realistic to picture Brits entering a kokpar tournament without getting a total pasting from some Uzbek youth reserves, but tug of war is a little closer to home, and Sam explained that it’s something he’s been involved with for a few years.
“As for tug of war, I just really liked it from the start. The fact that you’re with seven other guys on a team all fighting together, and I like team sports a lot, that sense of, you know, everyone needing to pull their own weight, literally. It’s quite good, and it’s social as well.”
Yet it won’t just happen. Unlike Luke Littler (he gets everywhere), who can just turn up and win, the team is nearing the stage at which they prepare in earnest, after having been picked via an informal selection process with Instagram at the hub.
They don’t pick athletes via Instagram; they just guide them on where to submit an interest. Hopeful entrants then apply via the WNG website, where there’s formal documentation and information they have to submit, and then the WNG council will select if they want that person to compete. There is a maximum number of spaces in each sport.
They are still waiting for accreditation for WNG 2026, but are confident that it’s time to get to work.
“We’ve got some dates lined up, some weekends where we’re all gonna probably meet in London as it’s sort of a central point for us, because we’ve got people from Sheffield, people from down south in Poole, people from London.
“And so London’s the best place to meet, really. And then we’re going to do a few training camps over the weekends. We’ve got a few new faces this time, so we need to make sure the team chemistry is good.
“Time in the gym. Putting on some weight as well. People are on their summer body cut, but no, not for tug of war!
“I think I think we’re gonna get nutrition plans fixed, because we are taking it seriously; as you know, it is an international competition.”
Sam added to his account of the 2024 games, when they were so well looked after by not only the organisers, but also by the British Embassy, who even helped find a replacement when one of their team members was ill. He put in a good performance, too, helping Team GB to a respectable 6th-place finish.
Doubtless, they want to do better this year, but it all comes down to the whole experience in the end. Last time, they were able to go home with amazing stories of Kazakhstan, which have helped challenge some of the misconceptions people have about the country. This coming WNG will doubtless give them the same opportunity for our Kyrgyz neighbours, but this time round, it’s not just a tug of war team who will be showing up to do battle.
“We have some horseback archers coming over, including some women, and other athletes. We don’t have an umbrella organisation, nothing official, so to speak, but a friend of mine called Seth, who is on the intellectual games team, is working hard to ensure that things go smoothly for all those who are keen to take part.”
Seth has actually played the last few WNGs as an individual, and remains as committed as ever, understanding that ‘better than the Olympics’ is not a label to be sniffed at.
“It’s also notable that we’ve got more female participation this year, which can only be a good thing.”
Sam believes that this year’s games could go viral, not only because they are worthy of the coverage, but because the host nation, Kyrgyzstan, is currently trending heavily on social media.
Lake Issyk Kul, the second-highest navigable lake in the world, will host many of the events, while the opening ceremony will be in Bishkek.
Brits wanting to take part have been in touch with Sam, and there have been more than a handful, although of course not all enquiries will lead to full participation.
“Basically, I’ve got the Instagram page and the website. And athletes, quite a lot of them, have come to me and contacted me through that and asked me about it, like how to sign up.
“It’s all been great! We were originally uni students carrying the British flag in a stadium across the world. In some ways, that’s just so surreal. But people have been so interested, and actually, everyone I speak to about it all wants to get involved.
“Those not competing also want to go to the country and see the games for themselves, which I think, again, emphasises the real potential that the World Nomad Games have.”
This isn’t just Sam’s close friends, nor just me, but other media reps in the UK, one of whom contacted him from Leeds wanting to make a documentary about WNG. Perhaps the mainstream media need a little more time before committing to covering it, but they could do a lot worse, and who knows, perhaps Sam or his compatriots will pick up a few medals this September, meaning that the victory-hungry UK sports press will start to take notice.
I may even drop a few hints myself 😉
Even if they don’t dominate the back pages this year, Sam Pollard is sure that Team GB at the World Nomad Games is not just a fad, not just a social media trend, and certainly not just an excuse to take a few weeks off work.
This is a serious affair, a biennial festival which could, and should, become something to look forward to for sports fans all over the world. And that includes the British.
