Tag Archives: Naadam
A Country Naadam, Part IV: Let the Games Begin!
After the opening ceremonies, we bounced outside of Altai City, in a dust veiled procession of ‘machines’, with our student, Cassandra, and her family, to watch the horse races. A handful of bumpy miles later, we pulled up to a … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part III: Pre-Naadam Show
Naadam started on a patriotic note, as a small army blocked off Janchiv Square, while flowers were laid at the giant statue’s boots to honor his short heroic life. A silken tide of deels pressed against the sinewy curtain of … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part II: Happy Birthday Altai City!
Once my students learned of my interest in Mongolian wrestling, they walked me to the hanger-sized Altai City Sports Center, and introduced me to the local wrestlers. Even though they were preparing for Naadam, a handful of days away, they … Continue reading
A Country Naadam, Part I: Happenstance
It was pure happenstance that we experienced our first country Naadam, way out in left-field of the Mongolian Gobi. A day after enjoying UB’s Naadam, and just five days after arriving in Mongolia, we rushed out to Altai City, to … Continue reading
Altai Naadam Wrestling Scandal
Wrestler With Dust by M. Orgil & Thantcyn Nyan Wrestlers B.Joronzonbold (in red top), ranked Elephant, and D.Lhagvadorj (in blue top), ranked Falcon, made it to the 7th level of the wrestling competition, for the 70 year anniversary of Gov-Altai. … Continue reading
Steppe Into the Gobi: Preface
It all started when I sneaked onto the wrestling field, where only ‘press-passed’ photographers were allowed, in the Tsengeldeh Hureelen Wrestling Stadium, during Naadam, in Ulanbaatar. Courtney and I tried sweet-talking some Mongolian newspapers into giving us press passes, during … Continue reading