Sanjaa Zaya receives top sporting award from Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
UIAA Youth Commission member Sanjaa Zaya has been honoured with Mongolia’s greatest sporting honour, the Mongolian State Honoured Sportsman Prize.
Zaya, 68, received the award from Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj in recognition of her role as one of Mongolia’s leading female climbers.
An energetic member of the UIAA Youth Commission, Zaya represents the Mongolian National Mountaineering Federation, a member federation of the UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.
She is well known in Mongolia for her climbing exploits and is the author of three books about the history of Mongolian mountaineering, in addition to being a teacher and translator of Russian and English. A fourth book by Zaya is a Mongolian-English phrase book for climbers.
Since 1967, Zaya has climbed 7,000 metre peaks around the world and participated in expeditions in Europe, Russia, Nepal, Japan and in Mongolia. She was a member of the first Mongolian women’s expedition to Mt. Everest in 2006 from the north side and has also been a climbing partner of Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Mt. Everest.
Zaya is also sought after as a lecturer about Mongolian mountaineering, a youth trainer and been involved in international relations for several Mongolian mountaineering organizations.
