Mongolia at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Mongolia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Since the nation made its debut in 1964, Mongolian athletes had appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, because of its partial support to the Soviet boycott.

The Mongolian National Olympic Committee fielded a team of 43 athletes, 26 men and 17 women, across nine different sports at the Games. It was the nation's largest delegation sent to the Olympics in a non-boycotting edition, tying the record with the number of athletes achieved in Moscow 1980. Among the sporting events represented by the nation's athletes, Mongolia marked its Olympic debut in taekwondo, as well as its return to weightlifting after an eight-year hiatus.

The Mongolian roster featured 11 returning Olympians, with only three of them having won medals at the previous editions of the Games: judoka Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar, who emerged as the nation's most decorated athlete with two medals; freestyle wrestler Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg, who obtained the bronze in the women's 63 kg division, and pistol shooter Otryadyn Gündegmaa, who established a historic record as the first Mongolian to participate in six Olympics. Other notable Mongolian athletes featured Asian Games champion Dorjnyambuugiin Otgondalai in men's lightweight boxing, marathon runner and four-time Olympian Bat-Ochir Ser-Od, and heavyweight judoka Temuulengiin Battulga, who was selected by the committee as the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

Mongolia left Rio de Janeiro with only two medals (one silver and one bronze); each was awarded to Otgondalai and lightweight judoka Dorjsürengiin Sumiyaa (women's 57 kg). Several Mongolian athletes narrowly missed out of the podium, including judokas Mönkhbatyn Urantsetseg and Lkhagvasürengiin Otgonbaatar, who both placed fifth in their respective weight categories, and freestyle wrestler Ganzorigiin Mandakhnaran, who controversially lost the bronze medal match to Uzbekistan's Ikhtiyor Navruzov in the men's 65 kg division, provoking a protest against the decision by his coaches while stripping their clothes off.

Medalists

Archery

One Mongolian archer qualified for the men's individual recurve by obtaining one of the three Olympic places available from the 2015 Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Athletics

Mongolian athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):

;Track & road events

Boxing

Mongolia has entered six boxers to compete in each of the following weight classes into the Olympic boxing tournament. Gankhuyagiin Gan-Erdene, Baatarsükhiin Chinzorig, 2012 Olympian Byambyn Tüvshinbat, and Asian Games champion Dorjnyambuugiin Otgondalai had claimed their Olympic spots at the 2016 Asia & Oceania Qualification Tournament in Qian'an, China.

Kharkhüügiin Enkh-Amar and Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar earned additional Olympic places for the Mongolian roster at the 2016 AIBA World Qualifying Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Judo

Mongolia has qualified a total of 13 judokas for each of the following weight classes at the Games. Twelve of them (seven men and five women), led by two-time Olympic medalist Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar, were ranked among the top 22 eligible judokas for men and top 14 for women in the IJF World Ranking List of 30 May 2016, while London 2012 Olympian Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd at women's half-heavyweight (78 kg) earned a continental quota spot from the Asian region, as the highest-ranked Mongolian judoka outside of direct qualifying position.

;Men

;Women

Shooting

Mongolian shooters have achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2015 ISSF World Cup series, and Asian Championships, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) by 31 March 2016.

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)

Swimming

Mongolia has received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.

Taekwondo

Mongolia entered one athlete into the taekwondo competition for the first time at the Olympics. Pürevjavyn Temüüjin secured a spot in the men's lightweight category (68 kg) by virtue of his top two finish at the 2016 Asian Qualification Tournament in Manila, Philippines.

Weightlifting

Mongolia has qualified one female weightlifter for the Rio Olympics by virtue of a top six national finish at the 2016 Asian Championships. The team must allocate this place by 20 June 2016.

Meanwhile, an unused men's Olympic spot was awarded to the Mongolian team by IWF, as a result of Russia's complete ban from the Games due to the "multiple positive cases" of doping.

Wrestling

Mongolia has qualified a total of nine wrestlers for each of the following weight classes into the Olympic tournament. Five Olympic berths were awarded to Mongolian wrestlers, who finished among the top six at the 2015 World Championships, while the other half of the wrestling roster had booked Olympic spots by progressing to the top two finals at the 2016 Asian Qualification Tournament.

One further wrestler had claimed the remaining Olympic slot in the men's freestyle 97 kg to round out the Mongolian roster at the final meet of the World Qualification Tournament in Istanbul.

On 11 May 2016, United World Wrestling decided to revoke an Olympic license from Mongolia in women's freestyle 53 kg, due to doping violations at the Asian Qualification Tournament, but the license was reinstated two months later, following the recent meldonium guidelines released by IOC and WADA.

;Men's freestyle

;Women's freestyle

See also

*Mongolia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

References

External links

*

{{Country at games navbox, Mongolia, Olympics

Olympics
2016
Nations at the 2016 Summer Olympics