The opening ceremony of the fifth World Nomad Games is taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan. Around 2,500 people, including athletes and coaches from around the world have arrived at the "Astana Arena" stadium to take part in the historic occasion. CGTN's Aigerim Kali reports. 

An extraordinary sporting show took place in the Astana Arena Stadium, with a capacity of up to thirty thousand spectators. The ceremony began by honoring the 89 countries participating in the World Nomad Games. More than one-hundred athletes from China will participate in seventeen sports out of a total of twenty-one, including the most prominent Kokpar, Horseback archery, and wrestling. Nearly one-hundred medals will be up for grabs across the competition.

MADI MANATBEKULY Advisor to the Directorate, World Nomad Games "At the opening ceremony, we showcased not only Kazakh customs and traditions, but also the culture of the Turkic world and the Turkic people. Among them are Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, Turkmens, Azerbaijanis, Turks and Mongols."

AIGERIM KALI Astana "One thousand media representatives from 64 countries, including leading global media such as CNN, the BBC and Euronews, have gathered in the media center to watch the live opening ceremony for the World Nomad Games. Over the course of five days, reporters will be able to follow the competition on the big screens."

The main sporting program will start on Monday, but some competitions have already started. About 560 sport horses arrived at the field of the Kazanat hippodrome in Astana. Horseback and traditional archery athletes passed the credentials committee, and are preparing to attend the opening ceremony.

JORGE BELINCHON Spain's Traditional Archery Team "We are a little bit nervous. There's distance that we don't usually shoot at. We normally shoot from 30 meters in Spain. So we booked one day earlier the hotel, so we could come here to train a bit, get used to distances."

The World of Nomads ethnic village also opened on Saturday. It's a unique opportunity to experience the authentic cultures of nomadic peoples. It hosts exhibitions and workshops by artisans, a folk music festival, theater performances, and fashion shows. The games will end with a closing ceremony on Friday, when the host country of the next World Nomad Games will be announced.

Aigerim Kali, CGTN, Astana, Kazakhstan.