( CNN ) -- Grapple fans should head to Mongolia each year on July 11 . It 's the day the country celebrates its independence , but also the beginning of something equally important : country-wide competitions to discover Mongolia 's top wrestler . The wrestle-fest is part of `` naadam '' , the annual celebration of traditional Mongolian sports -- wrestling , archery and horse-racing -- that captivates villages , towns and cities across the country for three days . The grand wrestling competition held in the capital Ulaanbaatar is only open to those with a national ranking . But at a local level men , women and children , some as young as four years old , take part in the events . Sporting traditional garb , the reason for the wrestlers ' frontless shirts comes from a folktale . It tells of a woman who was disguised as a man and won the wrestling event . To avoid any deception again , wrestlers from then on had to compete bare-chested . While there is plenty of machismo on show , and despite the fact that the festival is often referred to as the `` three manly games , '' women can compete in the archery competition and girls can ride as jockeys in the horse racing . `` Everyone loves horse racing in Mongolia ; it 's our national sport , '' says Battsetseg Erdenekhuu , who works as a guide for adventure tourists in Mongolia . The annual event has become one of the biggest attractions for tourists visiting the country . Erdenekhuu believes that despite the influx of visitors the games are still as authentic as they have ever been because of their importance to local communities . `` For the main games of wrestling , archery and horse racing , it 's still very traditional , '' she says . `` For the naadam opening ceremony in Ulaanbaatar , because more tourists come just for that , it 's a bit touristy as there are different shows held just for them . '' Local and regional competitions are held across the country , with anyone able to compete in the events . Competitors and competition organizers usually spend around two months training and practicing before the events begin . Like most celebrations anywhere , food is just as important for the festivities , with deep-fried meat dumplings -- `` khuushuur '' -- the most popular dish . `` Naadam with no khuushuur is not a complete naadam , '' says Erdenekhuu . As a celebration of Mongolia 's nomadic past , the games will undoubtedly persist , believes Erdenekhuu . But she worries that the fast pace of change in the country with the current boom in mining could diminish the type of life the games commemorate . `` Visitors to the countryside and naadam will find it 's still very authentic , '' she says . `` The city is different . Nomad life is very authentic but I 'm sure its going to change in a few years . ''
Naadam is Mongolia 's annual sporting competition celebrated each year on the country 's independence day . Wrestling , archery and horse racing events take places across the country . `` Naadam '' means `` celebration '' and `` games '' in Mongolian .