The Buyant Ukhaa Sport Palace (Mongolian: Буянт Ухаа Спорт Ордон, romanized: Buyant Ukhaa Sport Ordon) is a 274,000 square meter multi-purpose indoor arena in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, adjacent to the Chinggis Khaan International Airport. The 5,045-seat arena was built using a grant from the People's Republic of China.[1] The total cost of the arena was 160mil ¥ (20,526,636.18USD) in 2009. The Shanghai Construction Group completed construction in June 2011.[2] The arena can host events in basketball, volleyball, badminton, wrestling, and judo, among others. A dedication ceremony was held in December 2010 with Chinese and Mongolian officials.[3]
Events
The arena hosted the 2013 Asian Under-23 Fencing Championships.[4]
In November 2015, Mongolia hosted the East Zone (EAFF) matches of 2016 AFC Futsal Championship qualification at the Sports Palace.[5]
Wrestling qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was held at the arena.[6]
In December 2016, the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia and held a gathering for Mongolia Buddhists at the Sports Palace. The event caused political tension between Mongolia and China as China views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist. Chinese officials postponed meetings with Mongolian officials and imposed new fees on commodity shipments because of the event causing Mongolian officials to announce that the religious leader would not be invited again.[7]
References
- ^ "Buyant Ukhaa Sport Palace Introduction". BUSO. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "China gives 160mil yuan worth of aid to Mongolia for Buyant-Ukhaa sports complex". china.aiddata.org. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "驻蒙古大使余洪耀出席中国援建蒙古国家体育馆项目交接仪式" (in Chinese). fmprc.gov.cn. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Asian Fencers in Mongolia". gogo.mn. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Schedule & Results". The AFC. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Canadian Men Set to Fight for Olympic Qualification Spots in Mongolia". wrestling.ca. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ Blanchard, Ben. "Mongolia says Dalai Lama won't be invited again". DZRH News. Retrieved 6 February 2017.