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Olympic Champion Judoka Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Murder of Childhood Friend

Olympic Champion Judoka Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Murder of Childhood Friend

Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar is the first Mongolian athlete to ever win an Olympic Gold medal for his country; he’s a champion judoka and a former president of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee.
However, he has recently been sentenced to 16 years in prison, after a brutal murder of his childhood friend.

Tüvshinbayar has won the Olympic gold back in 2008 (Beijing) and a silver medal in 2012 (London). For these reasons, he became a hero to the Mongolian public, and has been awarded the country’s highest honors.

The Olympian was also an influential figure in Mongolia. He became the campaign promoter of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Khaltmaagiin Battulga, who was also a former world champion wrestler. Battulga won the elections in 2017.
But just four years later, things turned to worse for his Olympic judoka supporter.

On April 2, 2021, Tüvshinbayar met with some of the Democratic Party figures. He was allegedly drunk, and – according to the Mongolian news report – attacked Erdenebilegiin Enkhbat, his childhood friend.
He hit Enkhbat in the head with a heavy object, which left his friend with severe brain damage. Despite being hospitalized, he passed away soon after.

Tüvshinbayar was charged with murder and will soon start serving the 16-year jail sentence.