Mongolia Wrestling, horse riding, archery, ankle archery, shooting dominoes and yak polo
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 17 September 2024
Updated on 17 September 2024
Now I understand why Mongolia rarely wins Olympic medals or qualifies for the World Cup in football. The order of importance for sports is: wrestling, horse riding, archery, ankle archery, shooting dominoes with a pebble, yak polo, then a long time of nothing, and finally basketball and football.
The evening after Naadam, I practiced for next year’s Naadam by shooting some arrows at empty deposit bottles during sunset. Luckily, my skills weren’t good enough to break the bottles. While eating a Mongolian BBQ (which means the hot coals are not under the pan but in the pan with the food), the hostel owner explained that there would be a yak festival in the mountains in a week and a half. I had no idea what to expect, but it sounded like something I had to change my plans for.
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Traveled route: Ulaanbaatar, Kharkhorin, Hatgal, Khorgo, Tstetserleg, Red Waterfall, Zamiin-Uud
Wrestling, horse riding, archery, ankle archery, shooting dominoes and yak polo
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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman
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