Ulaanbaatar, August 16, 2024 /MONTSAME/. With 12 days remaining until the start of the 16th Summer Paralympic Games, Mongolia is set to send 12 athletes to compete across six sports disciplines.

The event will feature over 4,400 athletes from 22 sports competing for 549 medals. Mongolia will participate in judo, archery, taekwondo, powerlifting, athletics, and swimming. Since the country’s Paralympic debut in 2000, Mongolian athletes have won two gold and three bronze medals. Mongolia’s first Paralympic medal came in 2008 when Hero of Labour and State Honored Athlete of Mongolia D. Baatarjav won gold. Following this, Hero of Labour and State Honored Athlete of Mongolia E. Sodnompiljee and State Honored Athlete of Mongolia B. Uugankhuu also earned medals at the Paralympics.

Here’s a look at the athletes representing Mongolia at the XVI Paralympic Games:

In the men’s 107 kg powerlifting category, E. Sodnompiljee, a Paralympic gold and bronze medalist, three-time world champion, four-time world silver medalist, six-time World Cup champion, two-time Asian champion, and world record holder, will be competing. He has been given the prestigious honor of carrying the Mongolian flag during the Opening Ceremony, marking his third Paralympic appearance.

In para-athletics, International Master of Sports P. Enkhmanlai will compete in the T-53 category of the 100-meter wheelchair race, having previously participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Meanwhile, International Master of Sports Ts. Battulga has qualified for the F-40 shot put event. This will be his first Paralympics, following his bronze medal win at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

Making her mark as Mongolia’s first-ever Paralympic swimmer, Kh. Nomuun will compete in the 50 and 400-meter freestyle events. A rising star, she previously showcased her potential at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

In para-archery, D. Selenge, a team bronze medalist at both the World and Asian Championships, and B. Oyun-Erdene, an Asian Championship bronze medalist, will compete. Representing Mongolia in taekwondo will be G. Bolor-Erdene and U. Surenjav. G. Bolor-Erdene, a State Honored Athlete of Mongolia, is a five-time world champion and five-time Asian champion, and he won the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2022. This will be his second Paralympics. U. Surenjav, a world bronze medalist and silver medalist at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, will make his Paralympic debut.

In para-judo, T. Suvderdene (48 kg) and L. Turunaa (70 kg) will compete in the women’s J-1 category, while B. Battugs (-90 kg) and D. Ganbat (+90 kg) will represent Mongolia in the men’s events.

The first group of Mongolian athletes will depart for Paris on August 18, 204, with the archers set to compete on August 29, 2024.