Kazakh kuresi (wrestling)

Kuresi is a standing wrestling style in which wrestlers grip each other's belt or clothing and try to throw the opponent onto his back. In the past it was an essential part of weddings, holidays and community festivities.

The winning wrestler earned great respect and was rewarded with a horse, a camel or valuable gifts. By tradition elders trained the young, and folk tales celebrate great wrestlers.

UNESCO inscribed "Kuresi in Kazakhstan" in 2016. The country's largest kuresi tournament, Kazakhstan Barysy, is watched on television every year.