Mongolian Wrestling

Here he is. The archetypal Mongolian wrestler in traditional costume. The circular medallion on his cap indicates five victories in the national Naadam festival.  Deceptively quick and powerful.   

All the wrestling is preceded by various cultural events. In this case it's dancing.

First the women.

Then the men & women.

And the military band played on ( too )

When the time comes for the actual wrestling event the contestants just stand up in the seating area and  put on their costumes.  No fancy dressing rooms or fan fair.  Just the business of getting ready.

Nearly 200 contestants this time and all their names are read off, they step forward and are acknowledged by their supporters in the stands.  The rectangular badges on the caps indicate provincial wins.

Once things actually get under way it's not unlike battle.  Perhaps twenty or thirty wrestlers can be on the floor at a time the winner moving on to the next round.

The traditional wrestling costume reveals the chest to prove the opponent is Not a woman.  Apparently, many centuries ago,  one of the great Khans' relatives turned out to be an undefeated woman.  The costume changes were to prevent future embarrassment.

As the bouts progress, more complex and ritualized grips on the costume are set to try and get a winner.

It really is a case of the "last man standing wins" as each wrestler works his way up the elimination ladder.

This particular event was a gruelling seven hour ordeal with the last pair pitting a forty year old against a twenty-four year old.

The youngster won but not without a very trying challenge.