Mongolia’s National Wrestling Federation announced today that two prominent wrestlers, N. Ösökhbayar and M. Badarch, will not participate in this year’s national Naadam festival. N. Ösökhbayar’s exclusion stems from a doping controversy, despite an arbitration court ruling in his favor regarding procedural errors; however, a final decision regarding his participation awaits both a conclusive legal resolution and approval from the anti-doping organization. M. Badarch is ineligible due to a prior four-year ban upheld by the appeals committee. Registration for the tournament is currently underway, with over 260 wrestlers signed up, including one state honored wrestler and sixteen wrestlers with national titles. There is also discussion surrounding the scheduling of regional Naadams, with some planned before the national event, and legislative changes proposed to ensure simultaneous Naadam celebrations nationwide. Wrestlers from Tuva and Inner Mongolia have also expressed interest in competing this year.