Equestrian sports competitions dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Victory Day of Abkhazia in the LWPA, were held in the village of Myku.
Said Bargandzhia
Traditional equestrian sports competitions took place in Myku village, Ochamchira district on Friday, September 28. This year they were timed to the 25th anniversary of the Victory Day in the Patriotic War of the people of Abkhazia.
The national teams from the villages of Dzhgerda, Kutol, Myku, Pakuash, Huarcha, Tamish, Guada took part in the competitions.
«All the horses participating in today's races are from Abkhazia, almost all of them were brought up in the equestrian school in the village of Kutol,» one of the organizers of the games, an employee of the Ochamchira municipal administration, Mikhail Agrba, told the WAC infoportal.
He added that the games are held to popularize and promote equestrian sports in Abkhazia and to improve the skills of horsemen.
The youngest rider is 15 years old, his name is Bagrat Tsvizhba. At the competitions, he represents the village of Huarcha.
«I've been racing for two years, I really like it. I plan to continue to do this kind of sport,» Tsvizhba shared.
Another participant of the race, Beslan Bobua from the village of Pakuash, noted that athletes are preparing for the races throughout the year.
«For us, this is a very important event, we are seriously preparing for it. We are engaged in equestrian sports school», - noted Bouba.
As part of the races, four awards were at stake: the first Cup of the first President of the Republic of Abkhazia Vladislav Ardzinba, the Cup of the second President Sergey Bagapsh, and the Cup of the current head of state Raul Khadzhimba. Riders also fought for the Cup of Memory of the people of Abkhazia who died in the Patriotic War. At a distance of two thousand meters, racehorses of local breed ran.
The owner of three cups - Vladislav Ardzinba’s, Raul Khadzhimba’s and the Cup of the Dead in the LWPA - became the rider Inal Golandzia from the village of Kutol. The winner told the correspondent of the WAC that it is a great honor for him to represent his native village in these races and, moreover, to win three times.
The Sergey Bagapsh Cup was won by Alyas Papba from the village of Guada.
As part of the competition, the teams also competed in throwing darts - Аҵәегәыдҵа (the name of the traditional Abkhazian game in the Abkhazian - ed.). According to the rules of the game, riders on the move must hit (a "dart" is a bamboo stick longer than one meter long, which ends are not sharpened - ed.) the opponent or his horse with the "darts" . If a competitor hits the rider with a dart, the team gets two points, if the horse, then one point. That team, which has more points, wins.
«This is a very interesting sight, it is dangerous. There were times when people were seriously injured. Such a keen interest is caused by the fact that these are dangerous for human health games,» - said the judge.
The game program of the competition includes equestrian football too - Ҽыла ампыл архәмарра (the name of the traditional Abkhaz game in the Abkhazian - ed.). According to the rules of the game, the riders move the ball across the field with a special stick. The goal of the game is to score the opponent's net the most times.
In both games a national team from Kutol village won. In total, more than 60 riders took part in the competitions.
Equestrian sports competitions in the village of Myku of the Ochamchira district are held for the 25th time. The program of the competitions includes equestrian races for 1400, 1600, 1800 and 2 000 meters, as well as national team games - horseback darts throwing and horse football.
Equestrian sports annually gather hundreds of people from all over Abkhazia and have long ago been entrusted the title of the main equestrian sports competitions of the Republic.
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