Mongolian Wrestling

Mongolian wrestling is a sport of the folk wrestling discipline which is practiced only in Mongolia. The sport is extremely popular in Mongolia, so much so, that a National Wrestling match in 2011 set a Guinness record with 6002 wrestlers taking part.

The objective of the sport is to force any part of the opponent’s body except the feet to touch the ground. There is no fixed time duration for a match, and matches could go on for hours, until one wrestler wins. Mongolian wrestling competitions have no classifications based on age or weight, and all wrestlers compete under the same category.

Mongolian wrestling bout

There are various styles of wrestling like, Ujumchin, Halh, Hulunbuir, Ordos, Alagshaa and Oirad, each of which have minor variation in rules. Some of the variations are, how a match starts; with players locked together or without contact, and whether grabbing legs are allowed. Striking, kicking, and strangling are strictly prohibited in all styles. Some styles allow for the hands or knees to touch the ground, and is not considered as a fall.

Several competitions are conducted for the sport at different levels. The most popular of which is the National Nadeem event, in which up to 1024 wrestlers are allowed to compete.

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Similar Sports

• Kurash — folk wrestling style from Central Asia in which wrestlers use towels to hold their opponents, and their goal is to throw their opponents off the feet.
• Pehlwani — a form of wrestling from South Asia. A win is achieved by pinning the opponent's shoulders and hips to the ground simultaneously.