Ulaanbaatar, August 25, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Under the auspices of President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, the Opening Ceremony of the “ABU Robocon 2025 Ulaanbaatar” international robotics competition was held on August 24, 2025, at the “Asа Arena” complex.

Teams from 13 countries — Mongolia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Fiji, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, India, Republic of Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam — are competing in the tournament, with a total of 14 teams participating.

Organized under the theme “Team Effort, Ultimate Success,” the competition was officially opened by President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, who wished success to the young inventors, judges, teachers, and coaches taking part.

President Khurelsukh expressed confidence that the competition will promote the values of unity, diligence, and shared victory, while contributing to the expansion of international cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.

Although the robots designed by the student teams will compete in a basketball challenge, he emphasized that this event is not merely a technical competition. It is also a prestigious international platform that fosters intellectual growth, creative thinking, teamwork, solidarity, and lasting friendship.

As the host country, Mongolia has the privilege of fielding two teams this year: “Tuvshin Electronics” and “HICH TECH” from the School of Information and Communication Technology of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST).

The judging panel includes two representatives from Mongolia, along with one each from Japan, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. On the field, 10 judges are from Mongolia, joined by one from Japan and one from Hong Kong.

The robots will compete according to the basketball rules developed by Dr. Batbayar, a lecturer at the National University of Mongolia and alumnus of Tokyo University.

The “ABU Robocon 2025 Ulaanbaatar” international tournament is jointly organized by the Mongolian National Broadcaster (MNB) and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

The event is sponsored by the Ulaanbaatar City Governor’s Office, Erdenet Mining Corporation, Mobicom Corporation, Asа Arena, Z.Com, MindTech, KSJ, and other organizations and businesses.

In 2019, Mongolia hosted the competition under the auspices of the Prime Minister, promoting Mongolia’s nature, history, and cultural heritage, including the “Urtuu,” the postal relay system that laid the foundation for modern communications, and the “Gerege,” the prototype of the diplomatic passport. That year also marked the first appearance of a four-legged robot in the competition.

Originally founded in Japan, the competition has expanded through the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union to include teams from across the Asia-Pacific region.

Next year’s competition will be hosted in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.