Guest Post: Mongolian Participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

By Zorig Bat-Erdene

Mongolia completed its participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11, 2024. A total of 32 athletes competed in 9 different sports:

Mongolia has won 31 Olympic medals (2 Gold, 12 Silver, 17 Bronze) since first participating in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964. Known for strong performances in individual sports such as boxing, judo, and wrestling, Mongolia has earned all 31 medals in these disciplines.

This year, Judoka Bavuudorj Baasankhuu won a silver medal on July 26, 2024, the very first day of the Olympic Games, making her the only medalist for Mongolia in Paris 2024. Mongolians were filled with hope and anticipation for more medals from this Olympic Games. However, despite strong potential, five athletes in these individual sports closely missed out on medals, falling short in the final rounds for the bronze.

Bavuudorj Baasankhuu, an athlete, helped the Olympic team of Mongolia win its first silver medal in the judo category at the Paris 2024 Olympics. #judo #Paris2024 #OlympicGamesParis2024 #OlimpiadasParís24 #mongolia pic.twitter.com/VEmlXxfqER

— Mongolia Expeditions (@MON_EXP) July 27, 2024

This situation underscores the unwavering dedication of our athletes, both men and women, who are physically well-trained and capable of securing medals. However, it appears they lacked sufficient psychological support, as all five athletes unfortunately fell short in the bronze medal round. Adequate psychological support is crucial for athletes to balance their emotion and psychology, especially at the Olympic level.

Much-needed Nutritionists and Psychologists may have been replaced by “Dignitaries”

Judoka Baasankhuu, Mongolia’s only medalist at Paris 2024, revealed in an interview that psychologists did not accompany the Mongolian team for some reason, leaving athletes to rely on online psychological support when needed. During the interview, an male voice can be heard to prompt her not to further talk when she said, ‘We received online support when needed.’ This incident, which was not further explained, caused her to glance in that direction and promptly wrap up the interview. It remains uncertain how much pressure or threats she may have faced since her interview for simply revealing the truth.

Adding insult to injury, a psychologist who has supported wrestlers for the past seven years traveled to Paris 2024 at her own expense, covering her flight and hotel costs. Unfortunately, she was unable to support her athletes before the bronze medal round, as she was not granted the necessary mandate to enter either the training area or the arena. By the time she finally managed to access to the arena, it was too late.

Surprisingly, numerous well-known politicians, businessmen, and their spouses or partners were granted mandates that were not extended to essential officials like psychologists and nutritionists. This sparked significant debate on social media, with many questioning whether these individuals covered their own expenses. The public criticized the situation, speculating that the Olympic Committee of Mongolia may have funded their costs. Even if they were in Paris at their own expense, it remains questionable why they were granted mandates while a psychologist, who paid all her expenses herself, was denied access to the training area and was unable to support her athlete.

Minister of Olympism and Olympic Committee of Mongolia

Former Member of Parliament B. Bat-Erdene was appointed as Mongolia’s first-ever Minister of Olympism, overseeing a significant annual budget (MNT 144.5 billion only in 2024). His appointment was met with widespread criticism, with many questioning the usefulness of the position and expressing doubts about its potential to deliver better outcomes. These criticisms intensified following the disappointing results at Paris 2024, where Mongolia secured only one medal, marking the worst performance since 2004, despite the largest Olympic budget in the country’s history. The public’s dissatisfaction with the Minister’s performance was evident in various social media platforms and public discussions, with many calling for reevaluating the Minister’s role and responsibilities.

Upon his appointment, B. Bat-Erdene stated that his main objectives were to increase the number of athletes participating in the Olympic Games and to boost Mongolia’s medal count. However, the results at Paris 2024 showed no improvement compared to the most recent two Olympics: Rio 2016 saw 43 athletes earning 1 Silver and 1 Bronze, while Tokyo 2020 also had 43 athletes bringing home 1 Silver and 3 Bronze medals.

Also, the current president of the Mongolian Olympic Committee (the son of a former politician suspected of being one of the most corrupt politicians in the country) along with the general secretary (who is Mongolia’s first Olympic gold medalist) have faced strong criticism since the start of Paris 2024. Both were seen with their spouses or partners, all of whom held mandates that were not granted to the essential officials.

Following the disappointing results at Paris 2024, where these promises were not fulfilled, there is now a strong public outcry for the Minister of Olympism and the management of the Olympic Committee to resign. The entire nation demands that they step away from the Mongolian Olympic Committee, as their leadership failed to deliver the improvements they had promised.

Mongolian Olympic Outfits

One of the positive aspects of the Mongolian team’s participation in Paris 2024 was their outfits. Initially, the public was critical of the design, arguing that it failed to reflect the symbolism, tradition, and spirituality of Mongols, with some feeling it resembled attire from another nation. Although the ‘deel’ is a traditional Mongolian garment that holds significant cultural and historical value, many suggested it was time to move away from the outdated ‘deel’ design in favor of a more modern Olympic outfit. However, despite the initial social criticism, most of the population eventually embraced the design, showing strong support for it. Additionally, several international news agencies recognized the Mongolian Olympic outfit as one of the most beautiful at the Games.

I think we could have gotten a young designer to incorporate different fabrics that speak to the Ghanaian heritage and get us a boss Olympic outfit or put a twist to the designs we wore.

Just can’t get over these Mongolian outfits pic.twitter.com/6SAjKO07D5

— The Vhypa (@vhypa) July 27, 2024

About Zorigtkhuu (Zorig)

Bat-Erdene ZORIG is a mining procurement and supply chain professional working at Galore Creek Mining Corporation in BC, Canada. He holds a Master of Applied Science degree in Mining Engineering from the University of British Columbia, where his research focused on Mining Local Procurement (Local Content) in Mongolia. Before pursuing his academic career, Zorig worked for the Mongolian Mining Corporation in Mongolia. Zorig’s experience in the mining industry, combined with his academic research, has given him a unique perspective on mining local procurement and its impact on the industry. He continues to be passionate about finding sustainable solutions for the mining industry and improving the lives of local communities affected by mining operations.

Follow