Kökbörü Turkey Championship semi-finals held in Erciş

The semi-finals of the 2026 Kökbörü Turkey Championship were held in the Ulupamir neighborhood of Erciş, Van. The event features the traditional equestrian sport known as ‘goat grabbing,’ where athletes on horseback attempt to pick up a stuffed goat skin weighing approximately 30 kilograms and place it into the opponent's goal.

The competition was organized by the Turkish Traditional Equestrian Sports Federation, with support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ethnospot Confederation, and local authorities including the Van Governorship and Erciş District Governor's Office. Participating teams included Ulupamir, Kahramanmaraş, and Konya.

The Ulupamir neighborhood is home to Kyrgyz Turks who migrated from the Pamir Plateau in Afghanistan due to environmental conditions and disease, arriving in Turkey in 1982. Kadir Başaran, President of the Şumkar Club, stated that the winner of these semi-finals will advance to the final matches to be held in the Ahlat district of Bitlis.