The first part of Mongolia’s Olympic team arrived back yesterday night (4 August) from Tokyo to a warm welcome. A total of 40 people including judo, boxing, shooting, archery and weightlifting athletes landed at a new Chinggis Khaan International Airport around 11:00 p.m. Their places on the plane to Tokyo were taken by Mongolian marathon athletes, who are now in Japan.

Our journalist B.Munguntamir spoke to Saeid Mollaei, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

-The Olympic Games was awesome. I am very happy now. Many Mongolians came here to welcome us. I hope all of them are happy as well. This silver is for Mongolians and is my first ever Olympic medal. I think this medal is the biggest gift to Mongolians from me. I was happy to hear my name announced as Mongolia’s Saeid Mollaei in Tokyo. Before I was competing for another country, now I am competing for Mongolia. Now, I am Mongolian. I forget my past. The present is more important for me. Thank you all of those are supporting me.

I talked with my family. I am not sure that my family will be able to come to Mongolia or not.

Now, I want a rest. Then, I will start everything over again. I will prepare to compete in the next Olympics. I promise to win gold medal at the next Olympics. For now, I will take a rest in Mongolia some time. I have many friends here. I know my Mongolian name. You guys gave me Mongolian name ‘Molom’. I like the name.

Born in Iran, Saeid Mollaei sought asylum in Germany after he was ordered in a Tokyo 2019 semi-final to intentionally lose so as to avoid a potential finals match against Israeli world champion Sagi Muki. Later he accepted Mongolian citizenship.