Mongolian Wrestling
Mongolia's national wrestling — no weight classes, no time limit, any body-touch beyond feet loses.
👥1 per team🌤outdoor
What is Mongolian Wrestling?
Bökh, Mongolian wrestling, is one of the three "manly skills" of the Naadam festival alongside archery and horse racing. There are no weight classes or time limits. A wrestler loses the moment any part of the body above the knee touches the ground — a subtle, deliberate contest of leverage and balance.
Quick facts
Category
Combat Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1 per team
Where played
outdoor
Country of origin
🇲🇳 Mongolia
Estimated origin
Ancient Mongolia; central to the Naadam festival (est. 1206)
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
Sources & provenance
Last verified 2026-08-20.verified