ULAN BATOR, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Mongolian government on Friday decided to cancel this year's celebrations of the national holiday Naadam due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move came after hundreds of Mongolians held a protest in the central square of the country's capital Ulan Bator, demanding canceling the holiday amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Originally, the country had decided to mark Naadam with a live broadcast on both television channels and social media this year due to the pandemic.

Inscribed in UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the official holiday is celebrated from July 11-15.

Naadam, which means "games" in the Mongolian language and features horse racing, archery and wrestling, is the most widely watched festival for foreign tourists in the nomadic country.

As of Friday, Mongolia has registered a total of 120,339 COVID-19 infections, with 611 deaths. Enditem