Mongol Sports - Naadam

'The three manly games'
Naadam is the country's traditional festival that is celebrated nationwide. Since the revolution in 1921 the festival has been organized in the honor of the victory of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, but Mongolians have been celebrating it for thousands of years. The three manly games - archery, wrestling, and horse racing - in ancient times were considered to be the essential skills. Every man was a warrior and he had to master these sjills to defeat  his enemies. Wrestling was originally a game to test the strenght and wit, but some sources say it was initially aimed at training young kids how to tame and domesticate wild animals. The horse is the main means of transport and man's best friend, serving as the symbol of power, strength and loyalty. Hence horse back riding is one of the most important abilities a man should possess. In ancient times, the ability to shoot with a bow and arrow was highly valued as it was the main weapon used in hunting and battles. Through history, the games developed into sports and higly skilled and specially trained men have made the events more competitive and interesting.

Naadam is celebrated annually on July 11-13 in the capital and in the local soums/provinces. Each year, over 35 thousand wrestlers, 40 thousand horse racers and 1500 archers compete in Naadams throughout the country. The main Naadam festival held in Ulaanbaatar is the biggest one attended by the state governors where the nine white banners of Chinggis Khaan are carried from the Parliament to the Central Stadium and the President officially opens the festival followed by folk songs, music and dance performance. The winners of the three manly games are given state tittle by the decree of the President of Mongolia.