The three manly games

Origins

Naadam is Mongolia's great summer festival, built around three contests often called the "three manly games": wrestling, horse racing and archery. All three are recorded in the thirteenth-century Secret History of the Mongols, and the festival grew out of military displays and sports held at weddings, religious gatherings and state occasions. It became an annual state event in the early twentieth century, and in 2010 UNESCO added Naadam to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Despite the traditional name, women compete in archery and children ride in the horse races; only wrestling is limited to men.

How it works today

The National Naadam takes place in Ulaanbaatar from 11 to 13 July, opening with a ceremony at the national stadium in which nine horse-tail banners, representing the nine tribes of the Mongols, are carried in procession. Provinces and districts hold their own, smaller naadams through the summer.

Wrestling. Either 512 or 1,024 wrestlers enter a single-elimination tournament of nine or ten rounds. Bouts have no time limit. A wrestler loses when any part of his body other than his feet or hands touches the ground. Wrestlers wear an open-chested jacket (zodog), tight briefs (shuudag) and boots, and each has a second (zasuul) who sings his praises. Titles depend on how many rounds a wrestler wins: nachin (falcon) for five, khartsaga (hawk) for six, zaan (elephant) for seven, garid (garuda) for eight and arslan (lion) for nine. A lion who wins a second national title becomes an avraga, often translated as "titan".

Horse racing. Races are run across open country over distances of about 15 to 30 km, set by the horses' age class, from two-year-olds to stallions. The riders are children, chosen because they are light; the races are a test of the horse more than the rider. Minimum ages for national races have been raised in recent years. The top five horses in each class earn the title airgiin tav, and the last two-year-old to finish is called bayan khodood, "full stomach", with a song wishing it better luck next year.

Archery. Teams shoot at a low wall of small woven or wooden cylinders called surs, from 75 metres for men and 65 metres for women. After each hit, judges raise their arms and sing out "uukhai".

What visitors should know

• Tickets for the opening ceremony at the stadium sell out; book through a tour operator or official sellers in advance.
• The national horse races take place on the steppe at Khui Doloon Khudag, roughly 40 km west of the city, so plan transport and expect dust and crowds.
• Local naadams in the countryside are smaller and more relaxed, and are often easier to watch up close.
• Do not walk onto the race track or across a wrestling ground during bouts.