honorable mention
Alain Schroeder belgium
title
Dead Goat Polo
The players train their horses to muscle out other horses in the pack while they themselves wrestle each other to snatch the goat and gallop toward the goal, slamming into the rubber tires that encircle the meter-high mound.
Most villages throughout the country have a playing field, some have official stadiums. In 2020, the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has halted large public gatherings but unofficial games continue to be organized in many villages. Players share the cost of the goat or wealthier citizens sponsor games with prizes to celebrate life events, inspire good fortune or simply for fun, and the winning team always takes home the goat for a post game feast. The origins of this legendary game lie somewhere between nomads hunting or defending their livestock against predatory wolves, to men and horses honing their fighting skills. Boys from the age of 4 - 5 learn to play on donkeys and instead of a goat, they throw around a much lighter pillow made of goatskin stuffed with hay. The new generation is happy to continue this rough-and-tumble game
In 2013, he uprooted his life, trading-in his shares in Reporters, to pursue life on the road with a camera. Schroeder now travels the world shooting stories focusing on social issues, people and their environment. «I am not a single shot photographer. I think in series,» he says adding, «I strive to tell a story in 10-15 pictures, capturing the essence of an instant with a sense of light and framing.»
He has won many international awards including Nikon Japan, Nikon Belgium, TPOTY, Istanbul Photo, Days Japan, Trieste Photo, PX3, IPA, MIFA, BIFA, PDN, the Fence, Lens Culture, Siena, POYI and World Press Photo.
He is represented in France by REA.
Website: https://alainschroeder.myportfolio.com
Instagram: alainschroeder
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entry description
Trying to outrun your opponents with a headless goat wedged between your leg and your horse might not be your idea of a fun game but in Kyrgyzstan, Kok Boru is the national sport. Dead Goat Polo, as some refer to it, looks more like cavalier rugby. Generally divided into two teams of five (and hundreds or more in a freestyle variant called Alaman-Ulak), fearless men on horseback race from one end of the field to the other chasing the rider with possession trying to prevent him from scoring a point by heaving the 20 kg body into the tai kazan (goal) at either end.The players train their horses to muscle out other horses in the pack while they themselves wrestle each other to snatch the goat and gallop toward the goal, slamming into the rubber tires that encircle the meter-high mound.
Most villages throughout the country have a playing field, some have official stadiums. In 2020, the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has halted large public gatherings but unofficial games continue to be organized in many villages. Players share the cost of the goat or wealthier citizens sponsor games with prizes to celebrate life events, inspire good fortune or simply for fun, and the winning team always takes home the goat for a post game feast. The origins of this legendary game lie somewhere between nomads hunting or defending their livestock against predatory wolves, to men and horses honing their fighting skills. Boys from the age of 4 - 5 learn to play on donkeys and instead of a goat, they throw around a much lighter pillow made of goatskin stuffed with hay. The new generation is happy to continue this rough-and-tumble game
about the photographer
Belgian photographer Alain Schroeder (b. 1955) has been working in the industry for over four decades. During his tenure as a sports photographer in the 80s, his shots appeared on more than 500 magazine covers. Book assignments and editorial pieces with subjects as diverse as travel, art, culture and human interest followed and in 1989, he co-founded the Belgian photo agency, Reporters. Schroeder led the business during the golden years of photography and into the digital age.In 2013, he uprooted his life, trading-in his shares in Reporters, to pursue life on the road with a camera. Schroeder now travels the world shooting stories focusing on social issues, people and their environment. «I am not a single shot photographer. I think in series,» he says adding, «I strive to tell a story in 10-15 pictures, capturing the essence of an instant with a sense of light and framing.»
He has won many international awards including Nikon Japan, Nikon Belgium, TPOTY, Istanbul Photo, Days Japan, Trieste Photo, PX3, IPA, MIFA, BIFA, PDN, the Fence, Lens Culture, Siena, POYI and World Press Photo.
He is represented in France by REA.
Website: https://alainschroeder.myportfolio.com
Instagram: alainschroeder
back to gallery