OUR
Blog
Canan Alicioglu and her Bestemşe Dokuz Kumalak ve Mangala Oyunları Derneği (Bestemshe Togyzqumalaq and Magala Games Association) have just held along with the World Togyzqymalaq Federation a bestemshe, togyzqumalaq, mangala and oware tournaments in the city of Amasya, in Turkey. Athletes from 5 countries participated including of course Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Czech Republic and Spain.
Each tournament was an excellent opportunity for athletes to give their best, but most importantly it was a magnificent opportunity for cultural exchange, meeting old and new friends and enjoying spending time with the Mancala family.
As is usual of mancala competitions, men and women compete non-mixed. Regarding the women and girls in competition, I was surprised by the great number of young girls and women participating in the tournament. In all the games played, more women than men participated.
– In the togyzqumalaq classic tournament, 27 women and 21 men.
– In the oware tournament, 14 women and 13 men.
– In the mangala tournament, 47 women and 35 men.
– In bestemshe blitz tournament, 36 women and 24 men.
These outcomes show that girls and women have a great interest in mind sports. In particular, I was impressed by the amount of young girls and women participants, from 4 year olds to 17 years olds, which were the majority of female participants.
In this regard, Turkiye is doing a great job in the access and promotion of mind sports among girls and women, especially young girls, who will be encouraged as they participate in competitions like this.
Well done Canan & team for the organization & for bringing so many female players.
