A new record for the largest Mongolian wrestling tournament was set recently when 6,002 competitors descended on the nation's capital of Ulaanbaatar for the biggest contest of its kind.
Organized by the Mongolian National Wrestling Federation (Mongolia), the nine-day festival of takedowns took place between September 17 and 25.
Opened by the Prime Minister of Mongolia Sukhbaatar Batbold and the head of the Mongolian National Wrestling Association Regjiibuu Nyamdorj, the event saw wrestlers aged between 14 and 80 from 21 different provinces and 325 "soums" (sub-provinces) take part, with some travelling as far as 1,700 km (1,050 miles) to attend.
Wrestling is the most important of Mongolia's "Three Manly Games"; the historic national festival called "Naadam", which also includes horse racing and archery.
The tournament, which took place at Ulaanbaatar's Central Stadium, brought the record title back to Mongolia, with the previous record which was set in 2004 with 2,048 wrestlers, having been set in Xiwuzhumuqinqi in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China.
Mogonlian wrestling holds a pivotal position in the nation's culture, with the sport regarded as the most important of the countries historic "Three Manly Skills" that also include horsemanship and archery.
The tournament ended with Chimedregzen Sanjaadamba victorious in the headline "Wonder of Mongolian National Wrestling" competition, picking up prize money of 15 million Mogolian Tugriks (around £7,500).
