On the visit to Mongolia ahead of the World Championship

The purpose of the trip was to inspect the accommodation sites for the participants of the World Mas-wrestling Championship and the competitions venue. Additionally, it was for filming on location to create a video announcement for the championship.

Upon arrival at Chinggis Khan International Airport, we immediately headed to the Mongolian Nomad tourist base, where sports delegations will be brought to board buses heading to Arkhangai. We stayed overnight in a real yurt and experienced all the pleasures of such a rest. It’s something special. The doors of the yurts are transparent, allowing you to observe the sunrise and sunset while lying in bed. There is also a restaurant on the territory serving local cuisine. The food is natural and very tasty. The tea is distinctive, salty, with various additives.

On the way to Arkhangai, we saw the Small Gobi — a piece of real desert with camels for riding. Numerous tourists take off their shoes and walk barefoot on the warm sand, observing the amazing natural phenomenon.

You’re driving in a car, and wherever you look — the Great Steppe. The horizon is surrounded on all sides by high, wavy hills that transition into rocky mountains. The sky seems simply vast, and the shadows of clouds drifting in the sky create whimsical, spotted patterns on the terrain. Fr om time to time, wild horses cross the road, and along the highway, two-humped camels wander. Colorful lambs seem to be everywhere. Among them, you can notice yaks with long, thick wool.

We did not stop and drove past the ARA complex to immediately start filming the necessary shots at a location 20 km away fr om it. There, especially for us, local cowboys drove several herds into one, approximately thirteen hundred heads. The guys were dressed in their usual traditional clothing with long sleeves and amazed us with their riding skills and handling of the urga – a long pole used for catching horses from the herd.

Operator Nikolay Koryakin from Yakutia went out, producer and director of the feature film "Timir," which received many film awards in various categories. He impressed us with his bravery, jumping off a pickup truck on the move to film galloping horses at full speed.

The leader of the Mongolian mas-wrestlers Munkhsurén Erdenebaatar, a true daughter of nomads, appeared in a historical costume. We won't reveal all the details. We'll just say that the commercial will be shown on all the big screens in Ulaanbaatar.

Upon arrival at the filming location, the director of the ARA complex, N. Ulzibayar, and the head of the local sports committee, R. Batbold, arrived. Thus, right in the steppe, we began discussing the preparations and conduct of the World Championship. In the evening, the hosts treated us to Mongolian chebureks — khushuur with yak meat filling. We spent the night at the Malchin hotel, which is also owned by Mr. Ulzibayar. We recommend it.

From early morning, filming continued at the sports complex, wh ere local mas-wrestlers train and wh ere the World Championship can be held in case of bad weather. Then, a working meeting was held in the office of the director of the Arkhangai Aimag sports committee, attended by responsible specialists in various areas of work. They detailed the progress of the preparatory work, showing tables and video footage on a large screen. To see everything firsthand, they went to the site at the "ARA" complex. The director personally gave a tour, showing and explaining all the significant places.

Around the stadium with a capacity of up to eight thousand seats, there is a 2 km 400 m hippodrome with its spectator stands and a huge screen for observing the races. Slightly further, under the hills, a tall roller coaster is being built, which will be adjacent to a cable car. It must be said that this complex is the first tourist entertainment center of its kind in the country on such a large scale.

On the territory, visitors can stay in traditional yurts, capsule cabins, concrete barrels, and large frame tents. Work is in full swing. The Mongolian side is doing everything to ensure that athletes fr om different countries remember this championship for a long time. We very much hope that it will become a grand event.

As a token of gratitude for such significant support for the higher competitions in the Yakut sport, the director was presented with the most important souvenir fr om the Land of Sakha – a vessel for kumis called "choron." This specimen was made to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and was decorated with drawings on this theme. The gift is symbolic – a sign of the historical friendship between our peoples. Mongolia was the first to come to the aid of the Soviet Union in 1941 when a deadly enemy attacked us. The Mongols then dressed the Red Army in warm sheepskin coats and sent thousands of horses.

Satisfied with what we saw and energized, we returned to the capital that same evening. The next day, there was another outdoor shoot and a meeting at the Ministry of Sports in the office of the head of the Mongolian national team training center, Erdenevaanchig Batbaatar.

On June 17, two major events took place simultaneously. The first was a large press conference involving 20 TV channels and 10 media outlets regarding the organization of a series of cultural and sporting events at the ARA complex, with our World Championship being the centerpiece. The second was an online meeting of the Presidium of the International Federation, wh ere we reported on the current affairs related to preparations in Mongolia.

At a press conference for the broad Mongolian audience, it was explained why their country was chosen as the host for the World Cup. The International Mas-wrestling Federation oversees activities in all countries wh ere mas-wrestling is developing and particularly notes the increased activity of the Mongolian Mas-wrestling Federation. Here, mas-wrestling encompasses all social strata, with people from various categories involved in the sport. Mas-wrestling is included in large-scale comprehensive competitions among adults and children. The Mongolian team has strong and competent leadership. Mongolian referees are highly qualified and are invited to work at continental, world championships, and prestigious international competitions. Telmen Sianbayar and Dariimaa Bumbat served as the main referees in São Paulo at the Arnold Classic championships in folk wrestling and in Rio de Janeiro at the South American championships in folk wrestling. In 2023, Mongolia successfully hosted the Asian championship in folk wrestling. A clothing line featuring the sport's symbols has been created. Mongolia fully deserved the right to host the highest competitions in our sport — the World Championship. Such a decision was unanimously made at the end of last year at the general conference of the member countries of the IMWF.

Currently, about 40 countries have registered to participate in the World Mas-wrestling Championship. The flags of the following countries will adorn the perimeter of the ARA complex in Arkhangai: Azerbaijan, Angola, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Congo, Czech Republic, Ghana, Georgia, Zambia, Egypt, Jordan, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Mongolia, UAE, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Romania, Syria, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, USA, and Uzbekistan.

The World Mas-Wrestling Championship will be held among adults and senior youth. This is extremely important for the future of the sport. Full rosters of national teams, including 17 adults and 16 boys and girls, will come from China, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation. These three countries will bring 120 people. Mongolia, as the host country, has the right to send two teams, which equals 66. The best in the categories will be selected at the national championship at the end of the month.

Invitations to visit Mongolia and become part of a world-class sporting event were sent to the President of the World Ethnosport Confederation Mr. Bilal Erdogan, the Ministers of Sports of Russia and Slovakia, as well as the Government of the Republic of Sakha led by Mr. Aisen Nikolaev.

We live in very turbulent times, when it is especially important for everyone to unite. It is no secret that today the world is shaken by local conflicts that affect all countries. The mission of mas-wrestling is to unite peoples, bring youth closer for a common better future. Mongolia is becoming a guarantor of peace and friendship among nations, a platform for unity and harmony. Athletes from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa plan to come here. This is an indicator of the highest trust in our Mongolian colleagues.

The mas-wrestlers of the world are determined to demonstrate their commitment to the high Olympic ideals. We are ready once again to loudly proclaim: "Oh, Sport! You are Peace!".