The President’s Kok-Boru Cup will take place at the hippodrome in Cholpon-Ata from August 31 to September 7. The press secretary of the Kok-Boru Federation of Kyrgyzstan Samat Dzhumakadyrov told 24.kg news agency in an interview about the preparations for the tournament, new rules, and teams.

— When is the President’s Cup planned to be held this year?

— This year it will be held from August 31 to September 7 in Cholpon-Ata. The tournament will be held in three leagues at once. The major and first leagues will have 12 teams each, and the second league has registered six teams so far, but in general there is no limit on the number of participants.

— What is the prize fund for the tournament?

— It will be determined by the state. Since this is a republican tournament, the size of the prize fund is set by the Directorate for National Sports. It also acts as the official organizer of the competitions. At the moment, we do not know the size of the prize fund.

— It was previously reported that changes were made to the rules of the game…

— We are now at the final stage of their approval. A special committee, which included players, referees and experts, worked on them for six months. The main innovations concern improving safety. Punishment for intentional collisions with opponents will be toughened, and the responsibility of referees will be increased. But they will be given more powers. In particular, the right to use red cards more often for serious violations.

After the official approval of the rules, we will conduct a large-scale information campaign throughout the country — we will train the teams. The most important thing for us is the health and safety of the participants.

I would like to note that the new rules are planned to be introduced at the upcoming President’s Cup.

— Is it known how many teams will take part in the tournament?

— More than 30 teams from all over the republic. Previously, there were only two leagues — the major and the first. We introduced the second, and this gave a very good result. Now all new, beginner teams will play in it, so as not to compete with professionals. This was done for a fair and honest competition.

I can say that the President’s Kok-Boru Cup is one of the most anticipated sporting events in Kyrgyzstan, gathering the best riders and teams of the country. This year’s tournament promises to be not only large-scale, but also innovative.