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Mongolian wrestling:

Mongolian wrestling has a history originated from 5000 years ago. On the bronze plates unearthed from the ruins of the Huns there are even motifs featuring wrestling. Originally, Mongol wrestling or Bokh was very much focused on its nature as a military sport, mainly for strength, stamina and skills training.

The legend says that in old times a woman dressed like man won wrestling competition once. That is why open chest and long sleeve wrestling costumes, called "zodog", meant to show that every participant is male. Wrestlers wear short trunks, "shuudag", and mongolian boots, "gutal".

There are no weight categories or age limits in Mongolian wrestling. A wrestler loses if and when he touches the ground with any part above his knees. The bokh requires good coordination between waist and leg movements. A wrestler is expected to fully display his strength and skills in the match.

In Mongolia, the colourful stripes on tales of wrestlers' hats will indicate the number of times the wrestler became a champion in Naadam Festival in Mongolia which is held on July 12th-13th each year.

The winners are honored with titles originated from very ancient days: the winner of the fifth round gets an honorary title of Nachin (falcon), of the seventh and eighth rounds Zaan (elephant), and of the tenth and eleventh rounds arslan (lion). The wrestler who twice becomes the absolute champion is awarded the title of Avarga (champion). Every subsequent victory at the national Naadam-festival will add an epithet to his avarga title, like "Invincible Titan", "Invincible Titan to be remembered by all" etc.

The number of participants in a wrestling match must be the power of 2, such as 32, 64,512 and 1024. When the match begins, wrestlers wave their strong arms and dance into the site by imitating the movements of lions, deer and eagles.

Horse Race:

Horseracing is an important part of Naadam. This sport is also dating back to the Bronze Age. The horses are selected a month before the big day. They are taken to the adequate pasture separate from the herd and trained. Horses are divided into five groups: 2, 4 and 5 years old, over five years old and stallions. The riders are aged from five to 12. Mongolian kids are excellent riders, for both girls and boys have been riding since infancy. As the popular saying goes, "The nomad is born in the saddle".

Competitions are not held on special racetracks, but right across the steppe, where riders are confronted with various obstacles like rivers, ravines and hills. The distance varies according to the ages of horses, between 15 and 35 km.

The winners do a full circuit of the stadium, each accompanied by a herald. The winning horse receives the honorary title "Forehead of Ten Thousand Race Horse" and the five runners-up are awarded with medals. Interestingly enough, the loser is also rewarded and honored.

Archery:

Archery Ample information about archery can be found in literary and historical documents of the 13th century and even before. According to historians, archery contests began in the 11th century.

The Mongols use a compound bow, built up of layers of horn, sinew, bark and wood. When unstrung, it is not straight, but curved. All archers adopt _the same stance and posture. The target consists of a row several meters across, of small woven leather rings, some painted red, which are laid out laterally on the ground. The openings face upward, providing a challenging exercise in trajectory for the archers. The distance is about 75 meters for men and 60 for women; men shoot 40 arrows and must score not less than 15 points, women shoot 20 arrows to score at least 13 points using the same bow as the men. The one who scores the most points is the winner and the title of Mergen (Supermarksman) is bestowed on him or her.

Boxing:
Nergüin Enkhbat (Mongolian: Нэргүйн Энхбат; born March 19, 1962) is a retired Mongolian boxer. At the 1988 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's Lightweight category.

Namjilyn Bayarsaikhan (Mongolian: Намжилын Баярсайхан; born August 10, 1965) is a retired Mongolian boxer. At the 1992 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's Lightweight category.

(: ; born , ) is a retired . At the he won the bronze medal in the men's Lightweight category.

The race began on time at 6:00PM - with 101 men taking the starting line (only one DNS, Luc Krotwaar). The men have fared a bit better than the women a week earlier, as temperatures at the start were 80 degrees fahrenheit (26 celsius), and 40% humidity - better than the 86 degrees and 50% humidity of a week earlier, but still hot!

The race opens and Khalid El Boumlili of Morrocco runs away from the pack from the beginning. His lead builds to nearly 10 seconds through the first mile in 5:04. The rest of the pack is ignoring El Boumlili. With a personal best of 2:10:49, El Boumlili will not be a factor and no one worries about his building a big lead. The rest of the pack contains everyone! - a large pack and not fast yet - they respect this course.

Through two miles in 10:18. El Boumlili is in the front but he has moved back to the pack.

Mile 3 - 15:24 (5K in 15:57). The pack still contains all of the runners (actually, just 84 runners, but that's pretty much everyone!) as they enjoy the easy pace. Ser-Od Ba-Ochir (PB 2:26:39) of Mongolia leads the pack through the 5K mark - clearly this is not a pace to worry anyone....

Mile eight
Britain's Jon Brown looks in good shape. He's in the front pack at this stage with another 50 athletes or so.

Mile seven
After the feeding station, Brazil's Vanderlei Lima and Han Gang, of China, pull just ahead. Their lead's barely worth talking about as the rest of the field are within a matter of metres.

Mile six
At this stage it is almost impossible to ponder where the first attacks will come from. One thing's for sure - it won't be from Mexico's Jose Ernani Palalia. The pace is proving too much and already he's dropping well back.

Mile five
An unfamiliar face in Mongolia's Ser-Od Bat-Ochir is mixing it with the best at the moment. With a best time of 2:26.39, he is unlikely to pose a massive threat as the race moves on.

Mile four
All three of Britian's competitors are happily nestled in contention, as is world record holder Paul Tergat.

Hendrick Ramaala, of South Africa, is looking sprightly at the moment at the front. He is among a number of athletes to sponge himself down in the heat while still on the move.

Mile three
The 102 challengers for gold all run through the feed station for the first time. There seems to be no problems as they grab their sustenance. The pace of the race so far is fairly slowly.

Mile two
Already the sweat is dripping off the faces of the athletes, such is the heat on the course. El Boumlili has been swallowed back into the main group but still looks comfortable enough.

Mile one
El Boumlili leads the marathon but it's of no concern to the leading protagonists. He's not considered a major threat and he's only marginally clear.

Already, though, the field is splitting in the hot temperatures. The sole Greek contender Nikolaos Palios is among the early stragglers.

1600 BST: The marathon gets going in high temperatures - about 33 degrees at the moment. There are 102 of competitors in the field in total. Khalid El Boumlili of Morocco goes solo off the front of the main group straight away

Serod Batochir of Mongolia sprints to win the Good Luck Beijing 2008 marathon men's race that finished at the National Stadium, known as Bird's Nest, in Beijing, April 20, 2008. Chinese Li Zhuhong won the second, followed by Han Gang. [Xinhua]

Batochir clocked a personal best time of two hours, 14 minutes and 15 seconds in a rainy condition with Li Zhuhong crossing the line after two hours 15 minutes and 32 seconds of a run.

Han Gang of China finished the third in the men's race in a time of two hours, 21 minutes and 15 seconds.

The marathon race, shooting off at 7:30am, is one of the Good Luck series test events of the Beijing Olympics, to check the overall planning and various functional operations for the Games in the coming summer.

Participants of the Good Luck Beijing 2008 international marathon race tried the newly announced course for the Beijing Olympic Games marathon race.

The 42.195 km course started at the Tiananmen Square in downtown Beijing and finished at the "Bird's Nest", in the Olympic Green in the northern part of the city.

A. Sukhbat, the most skillful and talented wrestler of modern Mongolian history:

Ulaanbaatar. /MONTSAME/. A total of 29 Mongolian sportspeople have gained Olympics rights and have commenced training to compete at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. These include: 3 shooters, 4 boxers, 11 judo wrestlers, 3 men and 3 women free-style wrestlers, 2 athletics, a weight-lifter, and 2 swimmers.

Shooting

O. Gundegmaa, Mongolian Honored Sportswoman, born on May 23, 1978 in Ulaanbaatar, has trained in the sport of shooting since 1993 and competes in 10-meter gas-pistol and the 25-meter sporting pistol categories. She has won bronze medals at the World Championship in 1998 in both individual scores and team results. Ms. Gundegmaa is also the Champion of the Asian Championship, the World Cup, gold, silver and bronze medalist in a World Cup series, a silver medalist of the East Asian Championship 2005, and has won a bronze medal at the Asia-African Championship in 2005. O. Dundegmaa has participated in 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics and was selected for a special prize. In addition, Ms. Gundegmaa obtained an Olympic right in the 25-meter sporting pistol category at the 2005 Milan World Cup.

Ts. Mokhzul, International Sport's Master, born on February 28, 1981 in Ulaanbaatar, has trained in shooting since 1994 in the 10-meter gas-pistol and 25-meter sporting pistol categories. She is a gold and silver medalist of the World Cup, the Asian Championship, a bronze medalist of the Asian Championship XV, the Champion of East Asia, and improved the State record for gas-pistol shooting with a score of 391. Ms. Mokhzul had achieved a 6th place position at the World Championship and will participate in an Olympic event for the first time. Furthermore, Ms. Mokhzul gained an Olympic right at the World Cup 2007 in Croatia by being awarded a special prize.

Z. Batkhuyag, born on March 28, 1973 in Ulaanbaatar, has trained in shooting since 1990 in the shotgun BKV-9 and BKV-5 categories. He won a bronze medal in gas-pistol shooting at the East Asian Championship and was successful in individual events, gaining a score of 398 in the 10-meter gas-pistol category, as well as 591 in the BKV-9 and 579 in the BKV-5 sections. Mr. Batkhuyag participated at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

B. Zorigt received his Beijing 2008 Olympic right in 2006 in Ghuang Zuo after winning a bronze medal in the 10-meter gas-pistol event at the World Cup Championship.

Boxing

Boxer, E. Badar-Uugan, born in Ulaanbaatar in 1985, has trained as a boxer since 1998 and won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships. He is the Asian and Universiade 2006 champion and took a bronze at the Doha 2006 Games, a bronze at the Asian Universidad, and gold medals at the Chemical Cup and Capitan Comer's Cup. Mr. Badar-Uugan also gained a silver medal at the International Championship organized in Ustana Labe city of the Czech Republic and received his Olympic right after winning a silver medal at the World Championship.

Boxer P. Serdamba, International Sport's Master, born on April 18, 1985 in Ulaanbaatar, has trained as a boxer since 1998. P. Serdamba won a silver medal at the World Championship 2007, and is the Championship of the Asia and Universidad 2006. He is also a bronze medalist of the Doha Games, a gold medalist of the Chemical Cup and Capitan Comer's Cup. P. Serdamba gained a silver medal at the International Championship organized in Pyongyang city of North Korea and obtained his Olympic right by winning a silver medal in the 48 kg category at an Olympic rights award competition organized in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Z. Enkhzorig, International Sport's Master, born in Erdenet city on February 27, 1987, has trained as a boxer since 2000 and competes in the 57 kg category. He will participate at an Olympic event for the first time. Z. Enkhzorig won a bronze medal at the World Championship of Youth and silver medals at the 2006 Doha Games and the Asian Universidad and is the Ch Kazakhstan, by winning a gold medal.

Free-style wrestling

In the men's category, B. Naranbaatar, Mongolian Honored Sportsman, was born in Ulaanbaatar in 1980 and has trained in free-style wrestling since 1995. He won gold and silver medals at the World Championship and is the Champion of both Universidad 2005 and Doncho Koloc. Mr. Naranbaatar took a 5th place at the Doha 2006 Games. This will be his second Olympic Games and he won his 2008 right after by winning a silver medal at the Baku-2007 World Championship.
B. Batzorig, International Sport's Master, born in Selenge aimag 1983, has trained in free-style wrestling since 1994. He won a bronze medal at the Doha 2006 Games, a silver medal at the Asian Championship, became a champion at Universidad 2007 and acquired his 2008 Olympic right at the Baku-2007 World Championship by winning 8th place.

Women's category

Ts. Enkhjargal, Mongolian Honored Sportswoman, born on April 6, 1984 in Erdeneburen soum of Khovd aimag, has trained in free-style wrestling since 2000 in the 48 kg category. Ts. Enkhjargal participated at the Athens-2004 Olympics, won a bronze medal at the World Championship, a bronze medal at Doha-2006 and is the Champion in the World Championship for Students, Asian Championship and Mongolian Championship. Ts. Enkhjargal won a bronze medal at the Asian Championship organized in Jeju city, South Korea and received her 2008 Olympic right by winning in an extra competition to gain Olympic rights.

B. Odonchimeg, International Sport's Master, born on October 12, 1981 in Bayantsogt soum of Tov aimag, has trained in free-style wrestling since 1999 and competes in the 63 kg category. Ms. Odonchimeg will participate at the Olympic Games for the first time. She won a bronze medal at Doha-2006, a silver medal at the World Championship for Students, and is the Mongolian State Champion. B. Odonchimeg received her 2008 Olympic right at the Asian Championship organized in Jeju city of South Korea after winning a silver medal. The 1st place winning wrestler at this competition had already obtained a 2008 Olympic right and, therefore, her Olympic right was transferred to B. Odonchimeg in accordance with a rule of this competition.
N. Otgonjargal, International Sport's Master, born on November 14, 1979 in Bulgan soum of Arkhangai aimag, has trained in wrestling since 2000 and competes in the 55 kg category. She is a bronze medalist of Doha-2006, Champion of the World Championship for Students and won a silver medal at an Olympic rights award competition organized in Edmonton city, Canada. N. Otgonjargal received the 29th Olympic right secured by Mongolian sportspeople after winning a silver medal in the 55 kg category at an Olympic Rights award competition organized Haparanda city, Switzerland.

Judo

Kh. Tsagaanbaatar, Mongolian Honored Sportsman, born on March 19, 1987, in Baruunturuun soum of Uvs aimag, has trained as a judo wrestler since 1995. He was the Champion at the Doha -2006 Games, twice Asia champion, champion of the East Asia Games and also the Champion of Universidad 2006. He won a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics and received his Beijing 2008 Olympics right at the World Championship in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, in 2007 by winning 5th place.
A Mongolian selected team of judo wrestlers participated in the Asian Championship and secured a further 10 Olympic rights. However, these rights were granted to the Mongolian team and the Judo Wrestling Union will award these to participants from the selected team after adjudicating test-wrestling in several weight categories.

Weight-lifting
N. Bayarmaa, International Sport's Master, born on June 1, 1978, is a sportswoman in the national selected team. N. Bayarmaa has trained in weight-lifting since 1998, competes in the 63 kg category and is a bronze medalist of East Asian IV Games and several-times champion of Mongolia. She will participate in the Olympic Games for the second time. Ms. Bayarmaa is

D. Saintsetseg, Sport's master, born on September 19, 1990 in Erdenet city, has trained in swimming since 1999 and competes in the 50 and 100-meter categories.
She will participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympics by invitation of the International Olympic Committee and the International Swimming Sport's Union (FINA).

                Mongolians have won 5 silver and 10 bronze medals since the country's participation in the Summer Olympics XVIII in 1964 in Tokyo.
Free-style wrestlers included the following winners: J. Mokhbat - a silver medal, D. Sereeter, B. Artag and Ch. Damdinsharav - bronze medals and became the first Mongolian Olympic medalists in Mongolian sporting history. A further list of free-style wrestler winners includes: Kh. Bayanmonkh - a silver medal at the Munich Olympics, Z. Oidov - a silver medal at the Montreal Olympics, J. Davaajav - a silver medal and D. Oyunbold - a bronze medal.
                Judo wrestler medalists are: Ts. Damdin - a silver medal and Davaadalai - a bronze medal, respectively, at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. In addition, judo wrestler D. Narmandakh won a bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and judo wrestler Kh. Tsagaanbaatar won a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004
                Boxer N. Enkhbat won a bronze medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and boxer N. Bayarsaikhan won a bronze metal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
                Shooter D. Monkhbayar won a bronze medal, also at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.