SPORTS AND RECREATION
The people of the steppe created several games that are played on horseback, sometimes at wild speeds. Kokpar is a little like polo, but the teams on horseback compete to grab a headless goat's carcass. They try to drag it into the opponent's goal. Sometimes up to 1,000 horsemen join the fray on the wide-open plains.
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Kures is a Kazakh form of wrestling that has some similarities to sumo wrestling. Powerful competitors try to force each other out of the ring.
Kumis alu means "pick up the coin." Galloping at full speed, a competitor bends to pick up a coin or handkerchief. Historians say that Alexander the Great watched a game of kumis alu and called it worthy training for a warrior. Wrestling on horseback, or audaryspak, requires skill both in fighting and in trick riding. The one who succeeds in throwing his opponent off his horse is the winner.

 Girls and boys play a galloping game called kyz kuu ("overtake the girl"). A girl on horseback races away from a male rider as fast as she can. As he tries to approach her, she strikes at him with a whip. If she reaches the finish line before him, she can take another few swipes at him. If he reaches the finish line first, she rewards him with a kiss.
In winter, Kazakhstanis enjoy cross-country skiing, skating and hockey. They are proud of their national hockey team and of Vladimir Smirnov, an Olympic cross-country skiing medallist. Soccer is a favourite sport for youngsters and adults alike. Many people also enjoy basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. In summer, mountain-climbing and carp fishing are popular. 
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A few Kazakhs still practise the ancient art of falconry. They may spend years training a falcon to hunt on command and return to the trainer with its prey.
Kazakh girls often amuse themselves skipping with a cord that loops around the ankle and bears a weight on one end. They get the cord spinning in a circle and hop over it. Boys play assyk, competing to see who can toss a small sheep bone closest to a little pile of bones.
 
 
  Did you know?
Aleksandr Parygin of Kazakhstan won the modern pentathlon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The pentathlon tests the ability and endurance of athletes in pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horseback riding and running.