It is a good thing Kyrgyzstan was hosting the Nomad Games, and not the International Math Olympiad.Controversy followed the close of the Games on September 6 over a big discrepancy in the medal tally.
Both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan initially claimed to have “won” the medal-count race, with representatives of each country offering differing totals for the number of gold, silver and bronze medals earned.
Kyrgyz officials originally said their nation’s athletes had taken 72 medals overall, including 30 gold, while Kazakhstan earned 64 medals, including 29 gold.Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, meanwhile, proffered different numbers, saying Kazakh athletes won 74 medals, including 32 gold, while Kyrgyz participants won more overall medals than their Kazakh competitors, 84, but fewer golds, 30.
Based on the higher tally of gold medals, Kazakh officials asserted that their national team should be declared the winner of the Games.Both the Kyrgyz and Kazakh medal counts differed for other participating nations too, including Russia and Uzbekistan.
Ultimately, Kyrgyz presidential aide Askat Alagozov acknowledged on September 7 that Bishkek’s tally was inaccurate and recognized Kazakhstan as having “secured first place in the overall team standings.” Alagozov attributed the disputed tally to “a minor technical discrepancy,” while highlighting what he described as the “resounding success” of the Games.
According to the Games’ official website, roughly 3,000 athletes from over 100 countries took part in over 40 traditional events, including kok boru, mangala, arm wrestling and Kyrgyz-style mounted archery. “The medal count is just one aspect of sport,” Alagozov stated. “The true victory of these Games lies in the fact that we held the competition in a spirit of mutual respect and fair play, once again demonstrating the unity and solidarity of our fraternal nations.”