Naadam starts with a wrestling tournamentin which the loser of each round is eliminated. There are 512 or 1024 wrestlers. Mongolian wrestling has a long history and a special set of rules. Wrestlers lose the match if any part of their body touches the ground apart from their hands or feet. Unlike Olympic wrestling, Mongolian wrestling has no age or weight categories and there is no time limit for how long a match can last.
Horse racing is a way to honor Mongolia’s most cherished animal. Horses are grouped into categories by age, and the jockeysare children between the ages of five and 13. In Mongolia, horses run long distances up to 30 kilometers instead of short sprints. The top five horses in each race are rewarded with titles, and the top three get gold, silver, and bronzemedals. For the horse which finishes in last place, however, the crowd will sing a song to wish it better luck next year.
The archery competition is open to both genders, and archers dress in vivid, colorful suits. Men shoot from 75 meters away, whereas women shoot from a distance of 65 meters. When an arrow hits the target, judges often shout in celebration. The winners of the contest are given the title “Archer of the Nation.”
