Even Kazakh national security officials became involved in calming tempers as Kyrgyzstan protested that Kazakhstan only ran out 5-4 winners in the biannual World Nomad Games kokpar (or “goat polo”) final after the referees ignored multiple fouls and other infringements.

In an interview with Kyrgyz media, Kyrgyz team manager Erlan Abdykaparov told how Kazakh national security officials requested that his team refrain from "sowing discord between the two nations."

Following the final in the Astana hippodrome ahead of the weekend, Kyrgyz social media users took to Instagram with bitter comments such as: "My brother, you showed your sport in the worst way. If you will play like that, then kokpar will never develop outside of Kazakhstan."

Kokpar is Kazakhstan's answer to Kyrgyzstan's kok-boru (and Afghanistan's buzkashi—perhaps the most famous version of “goat polo”, it featured in the 1988 Hollywood blockbuster Rambo). The objective in each sport is for the horse-mounted players to get a goat “carcass” into the goal.

By tradition, teams used to play with a real amputated and decapitated goat carcass. These days a synthetic model is used.

In kok-boru, the players must hoist the carcass into a tai-kazan, namely a large, elevated scoring bowl. Kazakhstan, rather miffed it would seem at Kyrgyzstan’s dominance in the game, around a decade ago came up with kokpar, in which the carcass must be deposited in a circle on the ground.

Kazakhstan typically wins at kokpar, and Kyrgyzstan at kok-boru, but at these World Nomad Games, Kyrgyzstan put its best riders into the kokpar and had dreams of winning both trophies.

In the kokpar final, Kyrgyzstan took a 3-1 lead. But, according to local media outlets, the game turned after an ugly incident in which a Kazakh rider struck his Kyrgyz opponent with a riding crop at least twice. The teams clashed, there was a long stoppage, Kyrgyz supporters howled that the referees were ignoring some shocking Kazakh fouls, and Kazakhstan went on to clinch a 5-4 victory.

The Kyrgyz players almost boycotted the medal ceremony.

The consolation for Kyrgyzstan came a few hours later when its team triumphed in the kok-boru final, thrashing Kazakhstan 10-4.

Teams from the US, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Russia also took part in the “goat polo”.