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Buzkashi
Buzkashi, translated as “goat grabbing”, is a popular sport especially in northern Afghanistan, although it is also played in other Asian and Middle Eastern countries. The exact origins of buzkashi are unknown, but it is said to have been created by Genghis Khan’s Mongol nomadic tribesmen roughly 800 years ago during the late Middle Ages in China. From there, it travelled west by the nomadic Turkic people to develop further in northern Afghanistan. From there, it is believed to have evolved to become the sport of rich rival warlords. At times, goats are used to play, but calves are the preferable animal for this sport because their carcasses last longer. Before playing, the calf is decapitated, bled to death, and hooves are removed to protect the riders’ hands. Occasionally, the calf is gutted to help the game pass by faster, lightening its weight and making it easier to carry. At other times, the calf is filled with sand and soaked in water, stressing the endurance and strength needed in order to succeed in the game. On average, the calf weighs approximately 100 kilograms. The game itself actually has very few rules.1 As long as you have a goat and some horses, you have a game of Buzkashi. Common forms include having to ride around a flag and drop the goat in a circle to score a point or simply running the goat in between two posts.16 During the time the rider is carrying the goat to score opposing riders beat him with a whip in order to get the rider to drop the goat.16 Being a rider is actually less dangerous than being a fan though, as games of Buzkashi can have very organic boundaries that constantly shift.1 This causes some front row viewers to be taken as casualties.1 Women are forbidden to participate in buzkashi, and were formerly forbidden to watch. The riders, called chapandaz, who usually train for years, along with their horses. The horses are often considered to be the key for success in buzkashi, as they must be strong and extremely agile to compete at high levels. Buzkashi is played the most in the spring, and is traditionally played each year to celebrate the Afghan New Year’s Day, or Nawroz, which occurs on March 21. Hundreds of riders and spectators travel to the buzkashi grounds at Dasht-e-Shadian, about ten kilometers south of Mazar-e-Sharif. Mazar-e-Sharif is viewed by many riders as the true home for buzkashi. During these special occasions, the point-scorer can win thousands of US dollars in cash, awarded by government officials, the buzkashi federation, and wealthy, local businessman. As generous as this reward may seem, $1,000 US dollars does not compensate for the price of maintaining the horses and training them for the sole use of buzkashi. For many, over $5,000 US dollars are required per year for each horse. To help with these costs, businessmen who can afford to maintain the horses do so, and hire riders to train. More recently, Afghan mobile phone companies and private airlines finance buzkashi, and many advocate for it to become an Olympic sport.