On a muddy field in Kyrgyzstan, eight teenagers thundered back and forth playing kok-boru, a Central Asian polo variant using a headless goat carcass instead of a ball. Begimai Bakirova, 16, galloped alongside boys jostling for the carcass — an unusual sight in Asylbash village near the Tien Shan mountains, where the national sport has been played almost exclusively by men for centuries. Last year, Begimai and five other girls formed Kyrgyzstan's first women's kok-boru team. "Every girl has her passion," she said, dismissing claims that the rough sport is "not for women."

Kok-boru, meaning "gray wolf," originated with shepherds using a wolf carcass; a goat was substituted later. Since independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan revived traditional sports but focused on men's disciplines. Professor Elena Molchanova notes women on horseback have always held important roles in nomadic Kyrgyz society, so a women's team "isn't a break with tradition." Begimai trained with her father, Baktybek Beishekeev, 47, practicing by hoisting a car tire into her saddle daily through "crying and tears." She broke her arm in February, and her mother opposes the sport, but viral Instagram videos connected her with other girl players.

In March 2025, the six-member team played their first matches against boys, losing then winning. They face online criticism and parental resistance, but former federation president Akylbek Eshimov now supports them: "I'm wholeheartedly in support." As daylight faded, Begimai urged "one more" game, her ponytail bouncing. "She's easy to get going," her father said. "She's hard to stop."