Olympic Hero Tüvshinbayar Sentenced to 16 Years for Killing Fellow Judoka
Mongolian judoka Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar, who won Olympic silver in 2008, has been sentenced to 16 years in jail for killing his childhood friend and fellow judoka Erdenebilegiin Enkhbat. The incident, which occurred in 2021, has shocked the nation and tarnished Tüvshinbayar's once-sterling reputation.
Tüvshinbayar, a former Olympic hero, was convicted for attacking and killing Enkhbat after allegedly knocking him out with a heavy object. Enkhbat, also a judoka, passed away in a South Korean clinic in December 2021 without regaining consciousness. The incident took place on April 2, 2021.
Tüvshinbayar's past was marked by allegations of bullying and physical violence. In 2017, he was accused of being a bully, and there was an incident on the eve of the presidential elections. Despite this, he became a prominent media icon and campaign promoter for the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Khaltmaagiin Battulga, who won the 2017 elections with a narrow margin. Ironically, Tüvshinbayar's Olympic success in 2008 had helped overcome political tensions in Mongolia, with leaders from rival parties celebrating together.
Mongolia has one of the worst homicide rates in Asia. In 2019, 197 intentional homicides were registered, compared to 90 in Georgia, a country with a compatible population. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of criminal actions causing deaths in Mongolia rose by 17.3 percent. The range of homicide rates per 100,000 population between 2014 and 2020 was 7.24 to 5.98.
Tüvshinbayar's conviction serves as a stark reminder of the growing violence in Mongolia. Despite his past achievements, the judoka will now spend the next 16 years in jail for his role in Enkhbat's death. The incident has left the Mongolian judo community and the nation at large mourning the loss of a promising athlete and grappling with the reality of violence in their midst.
