The Central Khurul Will Once Again Unite the Strongest, Most Agile, and Most Skilled. On June 11 the “Erin Hurvn Naadn” Sports Competitions Will Be Held in Elista

On June 11 at 9:00 a.m., in honor of the sacred month of Urs Sar, the traditional athletic contests “Erin Hurvn Naadn” will take place at the grounds of the Elista Hippodrome.

This grand annual festival, uniting all Kalmyks, includes three men’s competitions: national wrestling, archery, and horse racing. 

Since ancient times, the Kalmyk khuruls and the Kalmyk khans and noyons have initiated such contests every year, in honor of the sacred month of Urs Sar, the month in which Buddha Shakyamuni was born, attained enlightenment, and passed into Mahaparinirvana. With the coming of Soviet power this tradition was forgotten, and it has recently been revived once more.

The event will begin with the ritual of offering to all the protector deities of the Oirat lands “Öördin orna teñgrin sañ”.

Young men and men may take part in the competitions; for this it will be enough to come by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the “Erin Hurvn Naadn” and register on site. It will also be necessary to provide a doctor’s certificate of clearance to compete and an insurance policy. The insurance policy can also be obtained on site.

The wrestling tournament “bök bärldän” will be held in the following weight categories:

Young men under 18: up to 51 kg, up to 57 kg, up to 65 kg, over 65 kg.

Men over 18: up to 65 kg, up to 75 kg, up to 85 kg, over 85 kg.

The archery tournament (kharvan) will be held in two age categories:

Young men under 18 and men over 18.

Horse racing (Urldan) will be held over three distances:

3 km — racing on horses of the Kalmyk breed, all ages

7 km — racing on horses of all breeds

21 km — racing on horses of all breeds.

All winners will be awarded cash prizes: 

Wrestling and archery in the categories of men over 18:

1st place — 50,000 rubles, 

2nd place — 30,000 rubles, 

3rd place — 10,000 rubles.

In the categories of young men under 18: 

1st place — 20,000 rubles, 

2nd place — 15,000 rubles, 

3rd place — 10,000 rubles.

Winners in the 3 km and 7 km races: 

1st place — 100,000 rubles, 

2nd place — 50,000 rubles, 

3rd place — 30,000 rubles.

In the main race over 21 km:

1st place — a car, 

2nd place — 70,000 rubles, 

3rd place — 30,000 rubles.

The main sponsors of the tournament’s prize fund this year were the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia Batu Khasikov, Oleg Bartunov, OOO “Garuda Group,” and the shops “Luch Solntsa” and “Dari Belg.”

Also at the event there will be a concert program for everyone, prepared by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kalmykia, and refreshments from the monastic community of Kalmykia.

According to the head of the administration of the Central Khurul, Yonten-gelung, the main goal of this event, along with the revival of Kalmyk culture, the spiritual and moral upbringing of young people, and the popularization of national sports, is of course the unity of the entire Kalmyk people around our faith and culture.

Dear compatriots, we invite everyone to this grand event. Admission is free. It begins at 9:00 a.m. Irhitn erjänävidn!