Junior Wrestling

One sport that I’ve really taken a liking to while out here in Mongolia has been wrestling. During Naadam, the wrestling matches would go on all day, and you could see all manner of wrestler come into the ring: Seasoned veterans, short and scrappy newcomers, the joke entries, tall, thin, fat, and short alike. While […]

Grapple

Your class means little When you enter The circle marked With stone benches And two roofed enclosures For voyeurs to peek. Make sure you are wearing Your hat with the black Side panels and blue Or red dome from which A pointed spire Draws upward like A stupa except that it Contains your holy relic. […]

Naadam: Wrestling

This post is part of a four-part series on Mogolian Naadam (Three Manly Sports). Naadam is a festival traditionally held within the first half of July every year in Mongolia. You can read the other sections here: Horse Racing, Archery, Ankle Bones. “Wrestling is I think the most national of all Mongol sports. It excites and […]