Wrestling Palace — Attraction in Ulaanbaatar

The exterior looks like a palace and stands out. This building is unique to Bökh, the national sport. The main purpose of this building is to host wrestling events organized by the Mongolian National Wrestling Association. The hall is 31 meters in diameter and can accommodate 2,500 spectators.

There was a special event going on when I visited. Various events other than wrestling are held here from time to time. Tickets can be purchased online, but I bought them from the person in front of the building who had a ticket. It seems that it was an event where they sang famous Mongolian songs. Since it was a Friday, there were many people in attendance and it was quite lively.

Facilities such as sound and...

Very different from most martial art exhibitions. it is extremely ceremonial. The closest thing I can think of is sumo. But in Mongolian wrestling's elimination rounds many competitions take place at once until the final match. It is meditative to watch this often lengthy struggle between highly trained athletes. Reminds me of cricket or baseball only in that the low key activity is interrupted by moments of violent action. Be aware that a tournament...

I went there for a concert of several musicians. I love live music, however it was mostly playback and way too loud. Sometimes I thought there are construction noises more harmonious than the sound of this event. This was mostly because the guy in charge of the sound design, if there was one, did a horrible job. I'll go back for a wrestling event which will be far better than...