Nadaam, the so-called Nomad Olympics, takes place in mid July in Mongolia. The three main pursuits are wrestling, horse racing (25km) and archery. We thought we would miss it as it tends to take place around the country on 11 and 12 July. Lucky for us the Nadaam in a town close to where we were staying was happening early and we saw some of the action. The usually reserved Mongolians came to life as the horse racing reached its conclusion - after 25km two boys came in neck and a neck and it was literally won by a nose.
The wrestling is a highly tactical affair and bouts can go on for half an hour - although, given that there are no weight categories, some bouts can be over very quickly. The participants wear open chested outfits - apparently because a woman won a few centuries back and this outfit is a sure way of flushing them out of a men-only sport. Our driver was hooked on the action - not surprising as a former regional champion himself.
The wrestling is a highly tactical affair and bouts can go on for half an hour - although, given that there are no weight categories, some bouts can be over very quickly. The participants wear open chested outfits - apparently because a woman won a few centuries back and this outfit is a sure way of flushing them out of a men-only sport. Our driver was hooked on the action - not surprising as a former regional champion himself.
posted from Bloggeroid
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