Mongolia tries to wrestle record back from China
More than 6,000 fighters are engaged in an epic battle in Mongolia as they try to snatch the world record for the largest ever Mongolian wrestling contest from neighbouring China.
Wrestlers as young as 14 and as old as 80 have descended on the capital Ulan Bator from all over the vast nation to do battle in a nine-day celebration of Mongolia’s national sport, with a US$12,000 (S$15,494) prize for the winner.But the real goal of the tournament, which began at the weekend, is to restore national pride after China snared the Guinness World record in 2004 with a three-day contest involving 2,048 fighters.
‘The tradition of Mongolian wrestling goes back centuries, to the Hunnu period, long before Ghengis Khan was around,’ said organiser Reegjibuu Nyamdorj, head of the Mongolian National Wrestling Foundation. ‘China has its own unique culture and so does Mongolia. It is our responsibility to show off our culture and holding this tournament is one way to do this.’
Wrestlers as young as 14 and as old as 80 have descended on the capital Ulan Bator from all over the vast nation to do battle in a nine-day celebration of Mongolia’s national sport, with a US$12,000 (S$15,494) prize for the winner.But the real goal of the tournament, which began at the weekend, is to restore national pride after China snared the Guinness World record in 2004 with a three-day contest involving 2,048 fighters.
‘The tradition of Mongolian wrestling goes back centuries, to the Hunnu period, long before Ghengis Khan was around,’ said organiser Reegjibuu Nyamdorj, head of the Mongolian National Wrestling Foundation. ‘China has its own unique culture and so does Mongolia. It is our responsibility to show off our culture and holding this tournament is one way to do this.’
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