A celebration ensued when Mongolia headed back to their locker room at the UG Arena, with everyone exchanging high fives and exulting following a masterful win over Singapore, Saturday night.

It was a match where the Blue Wolves could do no wrong, leaving their Southeast Asian foes searching for any answer that never came while the appreciative home crowd couldn't be any happier with what they saw.

They posted easily one of the most lopsided wins of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers, but the 73-49 victory meant so much more than that.

It meant that they have accomplished their goal of making it to the Asia Cup Qualifiers. Yes, a stage much bigger, where the lights are brighter.

That's quite an achievement for a nation that had just made its FIBA seniors debut in the First Round of the Pre-Qualifiers last November, where they garnered attention in the region after winning three of their four matches.

But the Mongolian cagers aren't just happy to have made it. For national team stalwart Anand Ariunbold, it is just the start for him and the squad.

"Well, this is just the beginning," said the versatile 1.97 M (6'6") guard, who has been part of the Blue Wolves for about five years now.

It's only natural for Ariunbold to have faith with his team. After all, his teammates have become brothers. The entire team has become family.

But it's also because he believed that Mongolia basketball was about to head into the same trajectory it's in now, when the country emerged as one of the best in the world after achieving glory in the 3x3 stage.

In 2017, it won the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup following a 19-14 victory over New Zealand in Ulaanbaatar to become just the second team to cop the continental gold. The next two meets would see them finish with silver medals.

"Mongolia is considered the champion of the continent and one of the strongest teams in the world in the 3x3 category, and it is a sign that we all have the opportunity to compete in the 5x5 category," he said.

Ariunbold himself has made a name in the halfcourt game as well. Just a year after making his Blue Wolves debut in the 2018 Asian Games, he decided to dabble into 3x3 and steadily rose as one of its stars.

His crowning glory, perhaps, was winning the 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Most Spectacular Player of the Year after shining with Sansar MMC Energy.

So, the 25-year-old has already represented his homeland multiple times in both events, thus the immense gratitude on his part.

"It is a dream of an athlete to represent his country," said Ariunbold, who aspired to become a pro back when he was 16 years young -- during his high school years in Japan. "Right now, I'm living my dream."

FUTURE IS WHERE HOPE IS

One could say that the seeds were planted over at 3x3 but nevertheless, Mongolia basketball is reaping the benefits of its efforts to develop the game and, most importantly, the young hoopers for the future.

Ariunbold was actually one of those who's part of the program's plans for the long-term. He was one of the youngest in that Asiad team at 21; now, he's become a key cog to the team mentored by Ijilbold Chimegdorj.

But what excites him more is the time when the talents currently gaining exposure and experience overseas join forces for the national team.

University of Dayton standout Mike Sharavjamts. Batbayar Narangerel of the Seoul Samsung Thunders in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Bayasgalan Delgerchuluun with the Taichung Suns of Taiwan's T1 League.

And surely, there will be more players that will tread the same paths those aforementioned have taken, which would only make Blue Wolves veteran Sanchir Tungalag beaming with pride -- being a trailblazer himself.

For starters, the 33-year-old legend was the first Mongolian pro baller to play in a foreign league in two decades when he played for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in 2015.

Once all those ripened talents make up the pack, Ariunbold is convinced that they can all make a 'big statement in the region,' something that they could do when the Asia Cup Qualifiers get rolling later this year.

"I think that Mongolian basketball will be able to compete with the big Asian powers on the world stage in the future," he said. "We have full potential to compete strongly at the Asian level."

"With the future of Mongolian basketball, with young players starting to play in the U.S. and other major leagues, the Blue Wolves are close to making a big statement in the region," added Ariunbold.

FIBA

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--February 27, 2023--

Entravision (NYSE: EVC), a leading global advertising solutions, media and technology company, announced today that its Asia-based digital business unit has become the Authorized Sales Partner in Mongolia of Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

"This partnership reinforces our commitment to advertisers and their agencies to connect brands to consumers through local strategic support, creative expertise and relevant in-market training," said Pieter-Jan de Kroon, Chief Executive Officer of Entravision Asia. "As we continue to expand our presence throughout Asia, we are thrilled to partner with Meta as their Authorized Sales Partner in Mongolia to equip and empower local businesses with the most advanced and effective advertising solutions."

As an Authorized Sales Partner of Meta, Entravision will provide a dedicated local team, strategic direction, support, training, lines of credit and local billing to advertisers in the Mongolian market to enable them to meet their business objectives.

"Mongolia is an important country for Meta, and it is a priority for us to invest in the market and to be closer to the people and businesses here," said Jordi Fornies, Managing Director of Emerging Markets for APAC at Meta. "As such, we are excited to introduce Entravision as Meta's Authorized Sales Partner in Mongolia. With robust local expertise and insights, we can provide better support for businesses and agencies to help them to emerge from this challenging time stronger and further unlock their potential growth."

About Entravision

Entravision is a leading global advertising, media and ad-tech solutions company connecting brands to consumers by representing top platforms and publishers. Our dynamic portfolio includes digital, television and audio offerings. Digital, our largest revenue segment, is comprised of four business units: our digital sales representation business; Smadex, our programmatic ad purchasing platform; our branding and mobile performance solutions business; and our digital audio business. Through our digital sales representation business, we connect global media companies such as Meta, Twitter, TikTok and Spotify with advertisers in primarily emerging growth markets worldwide. Smadex is our mobile-first demand side platform, enabling advertisers to execute performance campaigns using machine learning. We also offer a branding and mobile performance solutions business, which provides managed services to advertisers looking to connect with global consumers, primarily on mobile devices, and our digital audio business provides digital audio advertising solutions for advertisers in the Americas. In addition to digital, Entravision has 49 television stations and is the largest affiliate group of the Univision and UniMás television networks. Entravision also manages 45 primarily Spanish-language radio stations that feature nationally recognized, Emmy award-winning talent. Shares of Entravision Class A Common Stock trade on the NYSE under ticker: EVC. Learn more about our offerings at entravision.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and performance in future periods to be materially different from any future results or performance suggested by the forward-looking statements in this press release. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from these expectations, and the Company disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements made by the Company. From time to time, these risks, uncertainties and other factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005003/en/

Tamir Khangal’s stunning performance in Thailand solidified Mongolian athletes' status as a contender to watch out for in the world.

Tamir Khangal is a Mongolian professional volleyball player who plays as an opposite hitter in Nature Med Noyon of the Mongolian National Premier League. He headed to the Land of Smiles in November 2022 to play in Nakhon Ratchasima VC of the Volleyball Thailand League 2023.

The tournament kicked off on November 18, 2022, in both men’s and women’s events, and ended on February 26, 2023.

Nakhon Ratchasima Huione QminC, former seven-time winners, captured their 8th title following their sensational 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-21) win against Phitsanulok VC, without losing a single match to their respective rivals in this top-level professional volleyball league in Thailand.

This year's Volleyball Thailand League was remarkable for Mongolians as the 192 cm tall Tamir Khangal from Mongolia earned Men’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Furthermore, he was selected as Men’s Best Opposite Hitter of VTL 2023.

Mongolia joined the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) as the 82nd member country in 2021. As a result, Mongolians have become able to use electronic foreign passports with high confidentiality in accordance with international standards.

E-passport, which contains an electronic chip, holds the same information on the passport's data page: the holder's name, date of birth, and other biographic information, and helps to securely identify the traveler, provide protection against identity theft, protect privacy, and reduce fraud. The automatic e-passport reader machine facilitates the fast clearance of travelers at immigration checks.

Starting from March 1st, people can apply for either the new edition of the ordinary national passport or an e-passport.

In Mongolia, the first reader machine has been installed at "Chinggis Khaan Airport".

According to the National Statistics Office, the current account balance of payment was in deficit of USD 2.9 billion in 2022 and increased by USD 767.3 (36.4%) million compared to the previous year.

This deficit in the current account was mainly due to increase in deficit of USD 263.2 million in trade in goods and increase in deficit of USD 661.6 million in the trade in service deficit compared to the previous year. In December 2022, the current account was in deficit of USD 195.3 million and increased by USD 189.0 million from the previous month.

In 2022, by the preliminary results, credit of trade in services reached USD 1.1 billion, increased by USD 265.3 million, and debit of service trade reached USD 3.4 billion, increased by USD 926.9 million compared to the previous year. The trade in service balance deficit reached USD 2.3 billion and increased by USD 661.6 million compared to the previous year.

The capital account was in surplus of USD 168.8 million in 2022 and increased by USD 54.8 million compared to the previous year. In December 2022, the capital account surplus reached USD 19.5 million and decreased by USD 0.5 million compared to the previous month. In 2022, the financial account was in surplus of USD 2.2 billion and increased by USD 186.0 million from the previous year. In December 2022, the financial account surplus reached USD 608.3 million and increased by USD 467.4 million compared to the previous month.

The balance of payment was in deficit of USD 727.2 million and increased by USD 505.6 million compared to the previous year. In December 2022, the balance of payment surplus reached USD 469.7 million and increased by USD 307.1 million compared to the previous month.

Source: National Statistics Office

The Board of Directors of “Tavantolgoi” JSC held a meeting on February 25 and made a decision to distribute dividends.

The company planned to distribute about MNT 61 billion as dividends in accordance with their business plan for 2022. However, the Board decided to distribute dividends of MNT 2743.80 per share, totaling MNT 144 billion, considering the preliminary net profits.

At least 10 Mongolian provinces were experiencing the extreme wintry weather, known as "dzud," the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring said on Monday.

"Currently, at least 23 soums in 10 provinces of the country are experiencing dzud, and 41 soums in 13 provinces are facing near-dzud conditions," the agency said.

Over 60 percent of the nomadic country's territory has been covered with snow of up to 30 cm thick, it said.

Dzud is a Mongolian term to describe a severely cold winter when a large number of livestock die because the ground is frozen or covered by snow.

Some 366,000 head of livestock have been killed this year due to the harsh winter and other reasons, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry.

Earnest Ross Jr. hushed the electric crowd as he towed Guam past Mongolia, 82-81, in a thrilling conclusion to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers' Second Round, Sunday night at the UG Arena in Ulaanbaatar.

Ross fired a cold-blooded pull-up triple right in the face of Sanchir Tungalag for the go-ahead bucket with 3.4 seconds left, and the visitors would go on to eke out the one-point win as the home team could not execute on the other end.

Ross finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and a whopping 6 steals for Guam, who finished the Second Round as the only unbeaten team (5-0).

Top-scoring for Coach EJ Calvo's team was Jonathan Galloway, who registered a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds with 2 blocls.

Tai Wesley finished with a full line of 20 points, 6 boards, 3 dimes, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, as Jericho Cruz added 14 markers and a pair of steals.

Put to naught by the stinging defeat was the well-deployed attack of Mongolia, spearheaded by Anand Ariunbold as he made 17 points.

Tungalag had 15 points, while Enkhbaatar Onolbaatar and Ulzii Orshikh Myagmarsuren added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Blue Wolves in an encounter that pitted two of the eight teams bound for the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Thailand didn't show any sign of slowing down despite reaching the ACQ after mauling Singapore. 78-60, in the penultimate game of the day.

Tyler Lamb led the way once more with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Moses Morgan provided 14 markers, 4 boards, and 4 dimes.

The two combined for 23 points in the first half, where they nearly matched their foes' output as the long-time teammates powered the Thais to a commanding 42-35 advantage at the half that set the tone for the dominant conquest.

FIBA

PERTH, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rio Tinto has commenced a recruitment campaign for University graduates from Australia and New Zealand, as it seeks to attract the best and brightest minds across a range of disciplines, including engineering, data science, advanced technology, business and geology.

Commencing in early 2024, successful applicants will participate in an award-winning two-year Graduate Development Program designed to prepare graduates to lead, innovate and invent. The company is seeking to recruit approximately 150 Australian and New Zealand-based graduates out of a global program of 300 graduates. Last year, Rio Tinto welcomed 261 graduates globally, with more than half women and 130 based in Australia including 16% Indigenous Australians.

During the program, graduates will be inspired by futurists and external thought leaders from creative industries who will seek to spark their imagination and inspire them to tackle problems and create solutions in different ways.

Earlier this month, Rio Tinto’s Graduate Development Program won the “Most Popular Mining & Energy Employer” award in Australia’s GradConnection Top 100 Graduate Employer Awards for the second year in a row.

Skye Tansley, a Rio Tinto Graduate in Products and Software based in Brisbane, said “I’m proud to be a part of the growing number of women across STEM disciplines. I am excited to be working for Rio Tinto at a time where big changes are going to be made to the way we address our environmental and social responsibilities, and to see the positive effects that these changes are having, both on the business and the wider community. I want a future that I am proud to leave behind.”

Rio Tinto Chief Executive, Australia, Kellie Parker, said “Our award-winning graduate program provides an excellent launching pad for the next generation of leaders at Rio Tinto. It ensures we have an exceptional pipeline of young talent across our business, embedded with critical future skills across disciplines such engineering, technology, geosciences, data science and commercial.

“At Rio Tinto, we are committed to finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs to decarbonise and our graduates will be at the frontline of ensuring we deliver on that promise. With decarbonisation at the heart of our strategy, Rio Tinto presents a unique opportunity for any graduate wanting to play a leading role in accelerating decarbonisation and tackling this global challenge.”

Notes to editors

Rio Tinto is a global organisation with 49,000 employees working across 35 countries. The global Graduate Program will see graduates based in 14 countries across more than 50 locations.

Further information about the 2024 Graduate Program can be found at https://www.riotinto.com/careers/graduates-students.