Mongolia, Khovd (also spelt Hovd) aimag (region), Naadem festival, archery.Held annually in July, the great Naadem festival is a thrilling three-day sporting event that has been happening for centuries. In Genghis Khan's time it happened at different times of the year, particularly in summer. Since 1922, when Sukhbaatar ordered a naadem to mark the first aanniversary of the revolution on July 11th it has been held annually from July 11-13. The festival highlights Mongolia's 'three manly sports' - horseracing, wrestling and archery. Women also compete (except the wrestling contests) with just as much courage and daring as the men. The root of the word naadem (games festival) comes from naadakh, which means to play or have fun.