Mongolian Wrestling Tournament

     In celebration of the Mongolian Independence Day, 250 wrestlers of many different shapes and sizes from many parts of Mongolia arrived at the Wrestling Palace ready to battle newbies, Falcons, Elephants, Lions, Champions and higher level Champions.  These are various levels of honor one can attain by winning a certain number of matches.  A Mongolian friend of mine scored tickets for Pam, myself, two other American colleagues and another Mongolian friend from school.  The arena looked like a giant ger with its round shape and sunlit center.  There were certain sections set up for dignitaries, a section for the band, and the rest for the wrestlers and spectators.
     As we sat and asked our Mongolian friends questions about what we were going to experience, guys starting taking their clothes off exposing superman-type briefs and shirtless sleeves both tightened with ropes which we would soon understand why.  On top of their heads they wore the traditional hat with the pole-like protrusion on top with some having a metal emblem on the front part that we learned informed people of the wrestling level they'd achieved.  The wrestlers wore leather boots with wool inserts. The soles of the boots had, what looked like, thin leather rope on the front and back of the boot.  We were told it was used for traction.
     The crowd came alive as the referees began to line up, and a parade of wrestlers marched on to the arena floor forming a circle.  These were only the most accomplished wrestlers, which numbered probably about 100.  The Mongolian national anthem was played by the band, and then all the wrestlers were introduced.  To those of us struggling to learn the language, it sounded like everyone was named Andy.  We were then treated to a special wrestling song done by horse head fiddlers and throat singers.
     After the rousing song, many of the wrestlers left the floor.  Those that stayed prepared for their first bout.  There were 12 referees dressed in either blue or red.  Red handled one side of the arena and blue the other.  Each wrestler stood by one referee with a hand on the referee's shoulder and then strutted in half arcs around the referee while waving to the crowd.  The referee then removed the wrestler's hat and held onto it.  The wrestlers then went to the flag pole and moved in a way that resembled a bird flapping its wings followed by stooping and slapping the inside of their thighs twice and their hamstrings once.  It reminded me of watching New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team try to psyche out their opponent before the game.
     The wrestlers then headed to the center of the floor to find their opponents.  Without any fanfare, the wrestlers hooked up and started their bout.  It was like watching a Ringling 3 ring circus.  There were probably 20-30 wrestlers all grappling at the same time.  The object is to get the opponent to touch the floor with any part of his body other than hands and feet.  There were no weight, height or ability categories.  At times you could see something that looked like a reenactment of David and Goliath or Jabba the Hut and Luke Skywalker.  There were all kinds of strategies used from rope-a-dope to rams locking horns to a blitzkrieg.  This was a single elimination tournament.  When a person won, he would raise his arms while the loser would untie the rope on his sleeves and then duck under the champ's right armpit who would slap the loser on the rump.  This happened only if the loser was a wrestler of lower rank than the winner.  If I higher ranked wrestler lost that person would not go under the arm pit.  Exactly what he does is still unclear.  The winner would then see his referee, who would place the wrestler's hat back onto his head, and then go over by the flag pole and do the bird dance again.  The loser had to go and find the referee and retrieve his hat and head back to the stands to get dressed, no phone booths.
     Some of the bouts lasted only a minute or less while others went on for 15 - 20 minutes.  Wrestlers seemed to agree to take breaks and then lock up again when ready.  If the match seemed to last too long, the referee would say something to the men and slap them on the butt to get the match over with.  The wrestlers grabbed each other's superman pants and the ropes holding the sleeves in place.  This was tough material.  We did not see any accidental bun shots due to loose ropes.  Must have been great knots!  Guys were picked up by their shorts, spun around by the ropes on their sleeves, and yanked by the hands grabbing at the limited material on their bodies.  There was even instant replay to determine who hit the floor first, which we saw on one occasion.

Grabbing on.

The Wrestling Palace

In the stands behind us getting ready.  No it's not me.

According to my Mongolian friends this is the emblem of the elephant.

As explained to me this singing is the wrestling anthem.

I thought the big guy would finish the skinny guy quickly but he did eventually win that round and the next 2.

This is the bird dance that I forgot to shoot video of.

    This was a long affair which I didn't get a chance to complete watching because Pam needed to use a restroom and the only women's room was locked and no one had a key supposedly.  Prior to this a buddy and I decided to choose a bout that was in progress or about to start and pick a wrestler to root for and lay a beer on the line.  We apparently amused a number of Mongolians in our area as we cheered and groaned depending on the outcome of the match.  The tournament is followed by a post analysis and highlights that we can remember at a local pub.
     There are 2 other holidays that have wrestling tournaments, Tsagaan Tsar and Nadem.  We'll plan on being there with a keener eye on the talent to wager those beers on.   Hopefully, there will be an unlocked women's bathroom.