Japan's Emperor, Empress attend traditional Mongolian sports festival ceremony
Naadam, which means festival in Mongolian, is held every year from July 11, marking the revolution day, through 13. It focuses on the three traditional games of horse racing, wrestling and archery.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the ceremony at a stadium in the capital Ulaanbaatar on Friday, along with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife.
Seated behind the Imperial couple was former sumo wrestler and Yokozuna Grand Champion Hakuho, who was born in Mongolia.
The Emperor also attended the event's opening ceremony 18 years ago when he was Crown Prince.
The couple watched a parade of a mounted troop carrying a flag of Genghis Khan, the founder of the ancient Mongol empire, and a dance performance honoring the state guests.
They then moved to another venue for a demonstration of traditional archers shooting at targets placed about 100 meters away.
The Emperor and Empress cheered and applauded when both a male and a female archer hit the targets perfectly.
President Khurelsukh also picked up a bow himself and shot an arrow into the sky, which drew smiles and more applause from the Imperial couple.
The Emperor and Empress are scheduled to watch horse racing on the vast grassland on Saturday, which is one of the most popular sporting events in Mongolia.
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