Bokh
БөхMongolian national wrestling, one of the three games of Naadam, inscribed by UNESCO since 2010. No weight categories or time limit, and touching the ground with anything but the feet loses.
Quick Facts
MongoliaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Bokh
About Bokh
Bökh is Mongolian national wrestling and one of the three games of the Naadam festival, alongside archery and horse racing, and Naadam has been on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010. Wrestling is not an accessory to the celebration but its core: the tournament is held in the open air on grass, and the state Naadam usually has 512 or 1024 wrestlers.
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The outfit consists of the zodog, a short top with sleeves that leaves the chest bare, tight briefs called shuudag and gutal boots with slightly curled toes. The knockout system is simple, whoever loses is out. There are no weight or age categories and no time limit, so a small, quick wrestler routinely meets a much heavier opponent. The one who touches the ground with any part of the body other than the feet loses, that is with the knee, elbow or back. Strikes are not used, and the bout rests on grips on the jacket and belt, on sweeps and lifts. In the Inner Mongolian variant, according to Judith Lerner's description, the hands must not touch the opponent's legs. A dense layer of ritual surrounds the bout. Before the tournament and after a win the wrestler performs the falcon dance, accompanied by the assistant zasuul. Winners collect titles under the 2003 law on the state Naadam: nachin (falcon) after five won rounds, khartsaga after six, zaan (elephant) after seven, garuda after eight, arslan (lion) after nine and avarga (giant) after ten consecutive wins or nine wins in two different years.
History
The English Wikipedia dates the earliest mention to The Secret History of the Mongols of 1240, said to describe a bout between Buri Bökh and Belgutei, but we have not read the primary source. According to a study by Batmunkh and Boldbaatar in Cogent Arts and Humanities (2023), the title system is tied to the Danshig naadam of 1640, took shape in the 17th century and matured in the 18th. The same study says the rules were first written down in 1924, but that version was not applied, and they went through many revisions up to the state Naadam law of 2003. The number of wrestlers at the state naadam has changed: per Oliver Corff (1992) there were 640 in 1925, 1024 in 1934, 256 in 1955 and usually 512 since. Corff described four titles in 1992, falcon, elephant, lion and giant, and the later system added khartsaga and garuda. UNESCO inscribed Naadam on its Representative List of the Intangible Heritage in 2010.
How it differs
We know the differences between the branches of Mongolian wrestling only from the English Wikipedia, and no federation-level source found. Per it, the Khalkha bökh in Mongolia differs from the Inner Mongolian one in that a hand touching the ground is not a loss and grabbing the legs is part of the bout, whereas in the Inner Mongolian variant, per Lerner (ISAW 2016), hands must not touch the legs and a fall is a touch with anything but the feet. In the Oirat variant, per Wikipedia, a fall on the shoulder blades is said to count, as in freestyle wrestling. About Buryat wrestling we know only that the Buryat naadam of 2010 had two weight classes, up to 75 and over 75 kg.
Technique
A wrestler loses when any part of the body other than the soles of the feet touches the ground, for example the knee, elbow or back (Corff 1992). The English Wikipedia states that in the Khalkha variant, that is in Mongolia proper, a touch of the hands is not a loss, and we were unable to load the rules of the Mongolian National Wrestling Federation. There are no age or weight categories and no time limit, so a small wrestler may face a much heavier opponent (Judith Lerner, ISAW 2016). In the Inner Mongolian variant, which Lerner describes from Hailar, wrestlers must not grab the opponent's legs with their hands. The outfit consists of the zodog, a short top with sleeves that leaves the chest bare, tight briefs called shuudag, in Inner Mongolia also embroidered knee-length trousers, and gutal boots with slightly curled toes.
Training
According to UNESCO, the games of Naadam, wrestling included, are traditionally learned at home in families, and formal training for wrestling and archery developed only recently. We found no description of the federation's training methods and could not load the Mongolian National Wrestling Federation website.
Ranks and progression
A wrestler's standing is given by titles earned for wins at the state Naadam. Under the 2003 law on the state Naadam, as summarised by the study in Cogent Arts and Humanities (2023), a wrestler earns the title nachin after five won rounds, khartsaga after six, zaan after seven, garuda after eight, arslan after nine and avarga after ten consecutive wins or after nine wins in two different years. The tenth round is wrestled only with 1024 participants, the Mongolia Focus blog of the University of British Columbia says such a naadam is held about twice in ten years, and it dates the change in the law to 2005, the study to 2003. A round of the tournament is called davaa and the loser is eliminated from the tournament.
Today
Naadam, the traditional Mongolian festival, has been on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2010 (decision 5.COM 6.32, file 00395) and is held every year from 11 to 13 July, the Cogent study gives 11 to 15 July. Its three games are horse racing, wrestling and archery, and the winners receive titles. The state Naadam usually has 512 or 1024 wrestlers, the aimag naadams 256 and the somon ones 128. Wrestling is run by the Mongolian National Wrestling Federation, which, according to the Montsame agency, published a tournament plan for October 2025, including the European Mongolian wrestling championship on 4 and 5 October 2025 in Budapest for Mongols living in Europe.
Did you know
When a wrestler's garment comes loose or tangled, the opponent, per Lerner, stops the bout and helps fix it, and the winner helps the loser up. Before the tournament and after a win, wrestlers perform the falcon dance (Corff 1992). Per the English Wikipedia, the assistant zasuul holds the wrestler's hat, encourages him and can speed up a long bout by adjusting the grip. Women wrestle too, and Lerner watched women's bouts in Hailar in Inner Mongolia. Per Wikipedia, a match of 6 002 wrestlers entered the Guinness Book of Records on 17 September 2011, and we have not read Guinness's own listing.
Frequently asked questions
Are there weight categories in Mongolian wrestling?
No. Bökh has no weight or age categories and the bout has no time limit, so a light wrestler may meet a much heavier opponent.
How do you lose in bökh?
By touching the ground with any body part but the feet, that is the knee, elbow or back. In the Khalkha variant, per the English Wikipedia, a touch of the hands is not a loss.
How many wrestlers take part in the state Naadam?
Usually 512 or 1024 wrestlers. The aimag naadams have 256 wrestlers and the somon ones 128.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.