Sanchir Tungalag can't wait to put Mongolia basketball in the spotlight

ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Don't be fooled.

Don't let the fact that Mongolia are unranked in the FIBA World Ranking trick you. Don't let the fact that you haven't seen them play at the FIBA Asia level ever before this Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers make you think otherwise.

"The Mongolian fans are relentlessly rooting for their national team and can't wait for us to qualify to play at the Asia Cup."

They might not have a household name that is recognized throughout the Asia basketball scene (yet), but don't make the mistake in thinking that basketball is not a big deal in Mongolia.

"I am glad to say that in recent years, basketball has become one of the most popular sports in our country," says senior men's national team captain, Sanchir Tungalag.

"People seem to enjoy playing basketball regardless of their age and gender. For example, most office workers go to the indoor basketball court at least two times a week with their colleagues. We've also got an outside basketball court in almost every apartment complex. So during the summertime teenagers and kids play from morning to night time."

Tungalag knows because he was one of those kids.

"As for me, since I was a child, I used to play basketball from sunrise to sunset at the outdoor courts. That's when I realized I had fallen in love with this sport."

Now all grown-up, the 33-year-old gets to play a bit more frequently that the office workers and their colleague to whom which he referred. He's considering among one of the best players in the country, which should come as no surprise considering his career path up until this point.

He starred at high school. He starred at college. He won titles and MVPs and scored lots and lots of points at the professional level.

Sanchir Tungalag is HIM for Mongolia basketball.

"I realized that I wanted to fully commit myself to basketball when I first got into college. So, I started training as a professional basketball player in my first year and playing in college-level basketball leagues. I, fortunately, won the championship twice and was awarded an MVP and decided to pursue basketball on a professional level without looking back," said Tungalag, retracing and compressing his basketball journey.

Along that journey, one of the major highlights was when he became the first player from Mongolia in many, many years to play in a foreign league.

"In 2015, I was presented with a huge opportunity to play for the biggest team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, for approximately three months," he said.

Playing for "The Barangay", Sanchir was able to connect with some of the biggest talents in the Philippines including Japeth Aguilar. As a matter of fact, Aguilar is still active in the Philippines national team pool and was even playing for Gilas in this same window as Tungalag at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.

The journey is still a long way to go from this First Round of the Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers, but Tungalag can't deny that it is fun looking forward at the possibility of sharing the court with the Filipino players again.

"If our team qualifies and we get a chance to play against the Philippines team, it would be a great joy to have an opportunity to compete against my former teammates. I hope we get to compete against them."

Nonetheless, that is still a bit further away in the future. Right now, the immediate priority for Tungalag and Mongolia basketball is the competition directly in front of them that they are hosting.

"I am very excited to participate in the Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers. I think this competition is very important for Mongolian basketball," said Tungalag. "Depending on the results of this tournament, It is seen as a great opportunity for the development of basketball in our country. I guess the fans have high expectations from this competition."

Because of how big basketball is in Mongolia, it's not surprising that the players like Tungalag are expecting the fans to be ambitious. The sport has grown and developed so much of the years that those fans now want more than ever. The stars they are used to seeing in the local leagues, they now want to see those players play for the flag… and win.

It's the golden opportunity to do just that for Mongolia fans with the Asia Cup Pre-Qualifiers being held right here at home in Ulaanbaatar at the beautiful UG Arena where they go up against Malaysia, Thailand, Tahiti, and Vietnam.

Though these games, with the spotlight shined upon them and with an audience of Asia Cup fans watching, it's a good moment for everyone involved to showcase what Mongolia basketball is all about.

"Basketball is very unique to our country," said Tungalag. "The moment that basketball was introduced to Mongolia, there were Russian experts who used to come and teach us basketball. After 2000, Korean professionals started coming to share their knowledge and experience with us. Since 2011, American and European professionals and players have started coming to Mongolia to teach and play with us, and basketball has been developing very quickly now."

"Even basketball fans are becoming more sophisticated and enjoy cheering for their favorite teams with more respect to the sport. The Mongolian fans are relentlessly rooting for their national team and can't wait for us to qualify to play at the Asia Cup. I think these Pre-Qualifiers will have an amazing atmosphere for our team as it is being organized in Mongolia for the first time."

FIBA