Singapore’s horseback archers take aim at World Nomad Games
Seven athletes are representing Singapore at the World Nomad Games, where more than 2,500 competitors from 79 countries are estimated to have gathered to celebrate ethnic sports and nomadic culture.
Held in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana from Sept 8 to 13, 2024’s games feature 21 sports, ranging from horseback wrestling to falconry to martial arts.
Singapore’s athletes are competing in eight events in two categories – horseback archery and traditional archery. As at the end of the competition’s first day, they have yet to clinch any medals.
Mr Alfyan Ariff Bahari, 41, head coach and president of Traditional Archers Singapore, says the event is more than just a competition. It is also an opportunity to showcase Singapore’s cultural identity on the world stage, as the contestants incorporate costumes and equipment drawn from their country’s heritage.
He notes that traditional archery differs from modern archery in its use of traditional equipment such as wooden bows, handmade arrows, leather quivers and ethnic dress.
Meanwhile, horseback archery requires competitors to fire while riding at full gallop. The sport is popular among nomadic people, and its roots can be traced back to a range of cultures spanning Central Asia, Iran, Turkey and China.
Mr Syed Idrus, 30, one of Singapore’s two horseback archers, says the discipline delivers a unique thrill. The adrenaline rush of firing arrows at speed is a key part of why he loves the sport.
However, training for this sport has its challenges in Singapore as suitable venues are limited. Mr Syed, who works as a horse groomer at Singapore Polo Club, says that in the lead-up to the games, he had to travel to Johor multiple times a week to train.
In 2018, Singapore won a bronze medal at the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan in Korean archery, a sub-category of traditional archery.
The growing popularity of traditional sports means the competition has grown fiercer since. Mr Alfyan says: “Some of the countries competing – Hungary, Turkey – have archery as their heritage, so they’ve been taught since they were young, unlike us who adopt this as adults.”
For athletes like Mr Muhammad Ashiq, 30, who is competing as a traditional archer, balancing his full-time job with his training regimen is no easy feat.
A cyber-security analyst by day, he devotes his free time to mastering traditional archery. He had to take the week off to travel to Kazakhstan for the games. “My colleagues are supportive and, obviously, they find it intriguing because traditional archery is very niche in Singapore,” he says.
Ms Farhana Noor, 39, who is also competing as a traditional archer, says these disciplines are an important way to preserve the cultural history of the sporting world.
“Modern sports and games have removed the colourful background that each athlete comes from. There is uniformity in these sports, where tradition and culture take a back seat,” she says.
Ms Aigerim Raissova, first secretary of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Singapore, says the games are “the Olympics of nomads” and promote nomadic history on a global level. From South-east Asia, contingents from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines are also competing at 2024’s games.
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