The key facts

  • The first Open Asian Cup of Falconry became the main competition of the fifth Shygys Salburyny festival.
  • Participants from 10 countries, about 15,000 spectators over two days.
  • Winners: Serikbolsyn Zhalgasuly — golden eagles, Zaki Makhmudkhan — hawks, Temirali Tolegenuly — saker falcons.

The First Asian Cup of Falconry

Kazakhstan hosted the first Open Asian Cup of Falconry, which became the main competition of the fifth International Shygys Salburyny festival. Golden eagles, hawks and saker falcons took part in the traditional hunting contests. The festival is dedicated to qusbegilik — the centuries-old Kazakh tradition of hunting with trained birds of prey. Hunters with golden eagles are called 'berkutchi'; they demonstrated their skill alongside other falconers.

Participants and Programme

The tournament featured participants from Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, China, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Spain and Hungary. About 15,000 spectators attended the two-day event. In addition to falconry, the programme included greyhound racing, taming unbroken horses, mounted archery, the competition of picking up a coin at full gallop called 'tenge ilu', tug-of-war and other traditional strength contests.

Winners and the Organisers' Goals

Serikbolsyn Zhalgasuly from the Zhambyl region won the golden eagle competition, Zaki Makhmudkhan was the best in the hawk tournament, and Temirali Tolegenuly won the saker falcon competition. The organisers hope that the international tournament will help popularise Kazakhstan's hunting heritage and attract broader attention to these traditions.