Physical: Asia: Team Mongolia's Orkhonbayar Bayarsaikhan explores selection, team effort, and the show’s significance

Physical: Asia star and Bökh wrestler Orkhonbayar Bayarsaikhan, the captain of Team Mongolia on the series, recently opened up about his participation, shedding light on how he was cast and why he believes the show gave the Mongolian sport culture an international platform. 

In a video interview shared by marketing agency Spark Agency Mongolia on Instagram on November 18, 2025, Orkhonbayar reflected on his journey on Physical: Asia.

He discussed the responsibility of being the captain and leading his team in a competition with skilled athletes from seven other countries. 

According to him, his team was not the strongest among those competing; however, he believed it was their endurance and grit that got them further than the rest. 

While discussing the team effort, Orkhonbayar added that although the Mongolian athletes were not acquainted before the competition, they quickly developed a bond and became family. 

Team Mongolia was one of the eight countries that competed on Physical: Asia, which released its finale on November 18, 2025. Mongolia managed to make its way through to the finale, where it had a face-off against Korea. 

Unfortunately, Team Mongolia fell short in their effort, allowing Team Korea to take home the title. 

Physical: Asia alum Orkhonbayar opens up about his casting process

When asked about how he signed up for the show, Orkhonbayar revealed that he first heard about the show in 2023 when his coach was contacted with information on Physical: 100. 

Orkhonbayar‘s coach was informed that Netflix was interested in collaborating with Mongolia and was interested in casting him.

“At the time, we were training at the Aldar Sports Committee. So, we set up a meeting there. Then, a year later, after the 2024 Naadam Festival, they contacted us again in the autumn and said the official selection process was starting,” he said. 

Orkhonbayar recalled that the Netflix team from Korea visited Mongolia, scheduled meetings, and began auditioning people for the show.

It was then that Orkhonbayar thought he should take up the opportunity and utilize it to represent his country and its folk wrestling practice on a global platform. 

“I wanted to show the world that Mongolia has this unique sport called Undesnii Bökh,” he said. 

As for his preparation for the competition series, Orkhonbayar confessed that he did not follow a special training schedule for the show. Instead, he practiced his everyday training routine. 

Team challenges and the captain’s role

Orkhonbayar noted that he had anticipated that Physical: Asia would primarily be a team-based competition show. Consequently, he mentally prepared himself to adjust within the team so that he could handle such challenges. 

As for the tasks, he shared that production kept the ideas concealed until the last moment when players set foot in the arena to compete. 

“So, we had to think quickly in a very short amount of time and come up with a strategy. Since I became team leader, I had to take on more responsibility than the others, thinking, planning, making decisions,” he said. 

Team dynamics and capabilities

Speaking about the dynamics between his team members, Orkhonbayar noted that despite being strangers, they managed to gel well together because of their shared history of uniting and working together while living a nomadic lifestyle. 

He believed it helped them understand one another better within a short span of time. 

According to Orkhonbayar, Team Mongolia was “a bit behind” physically in comparison to the other countries.

“But our team unity, trust in one another, and a bit of strategy, and intelligence were slightly stronger. Every challenge tested endurance and perseverance. The fact that we survived each one shows that we simply had more endurance,” he said. 

He added that he realized the Mongolian athletes were not incapable of anything and could be on par with the rest if they put their best foot forward. 

Orkhonbayar named Adiya, the judo athlete on his team, as the player who motivated him the most. He said that he gained confidence to push through by seeing how resilient and strong-minded she was. 

The show’s significance

Orkhonbayar pointed out that by using the platform provided to them by Netflix, they were able to educate the other “world-class athletes” as well as the viewers about Mongolian wrestling and Mongolia in general.

He also pleaded with his fellow Mongolians to watch and promote the show so that the engagement could open up more opportunities for Mongolian athletes to compete in such global competitions. 

Stay tuned for more updates.