For three days in July, Mongolian pride and competitive spirit will be featured during a centuries-old festival. Horse racing, archery, and wrestling are the main athletic events at the Naadam Festival. From the 11 -13 of July Mongol sport, tradition, and culture will be celebrated in cities and regions throughout the country. The Mongolian word Naadam is translated to mean game or competition. These events are certainly not contemporary. Thousands of horses can be involved in the races which are many miles in length and not contained within a track. Young children and teenagers are even selected as jockeys. For the archery events the participants dress in traditional clothing. Bows are hand-made, along with the arrows. The wrestling matches are also traditional with none of the made-for-TV American moves or combatants. And making it even more challenging, there are no weight classes! The festival itself is a memorial event that takes place to honour the gods or celebrate community activities. Historically it helped establish who was the greatest among hunter gatherers. Men and women take part in everything but the wrestling, which is reserved only for men. There is plenty of music, and parades of athletes, monks and military kick-off Naadam.
Travel to see Naadam in person
No visa is required to visit Mongolia. The festival is open to anyone who wants to watch and can be found throughout the country. Hotels fill up quickly because of Naadam’s popularity, but there are tour operators who offer organized travel just for the event.
