Mongolian Wrestling
Mongolian
wrestling is one of the most important events at Nadam and only men can take
part in the competition.
The number of contestants in a
Mongolian-style wrestling match must be a power of two and that the contest
follows a single elimination system. In the match, wrestlers wear a metal
studded short-sleeved leather top, boot and long baggy white pants. For
wrestlers of rank the Inner Mongolians have a necklace called a
jangga.
There are
no weight classes in a match. And the objective of the match is to get the
opponent to touch his body part other than the feet to the ground. In the Inner
Mongolian version, any touching the ground signals defeat.
A variety
of throws, trips and lifts can be employed to topple the opponent but touching
the opponent's legs with hands is forbidden. In addition, striking, strangling
or locking is illegal in both varieties.
A
wrestler who beats five opponents in a Nadam is awarded a title of "Falcon", and
one who wins seven rounds is given a title of "Elephant". A wrestler becomes
champion by winning nine rounds and is given a title
"Lion".
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