10th annual Czech arm wrestling championships held in Prague

People from all over the country descended on Prague at the weekend for the Czech Republic's national arm wrestling championship. Organised arm wrestling competitions have been on the rise here and the sport is attracting a growing number of Czech arm-wrestling enthusiasts. There were well over a hundred people at the Prague event and competitors came from all over the country for a shot at one of the national titles up for grabs in various weight categories.

Photo: CTK

It's a little-known fact that arm wrestling is a sport which has been increasing in popularity here in recent years. After starting life as just a small group of dedicated enthusiasts, the country's official arm wrestling organisation now has more than a thousand members, many of whom regularly take part in international competitions.

Eva Grossmanova is Vice-President of the Czech Armsport Association:

"The World Armsport Association was established in 1967, but we are now celebrating 10 years of arm wrestling here in the Czech Republic. We started 10 years ago in Prague with a very small group of people. And the association is growing, as is media support and the technical level of the competitors. The association is also taking steps towards getting good results in world and European competitions."

Photo: CTK

The winners of the national championship competitions on Saturday will go on to represent the Czech Republic at the European Championships in Sofia and the World Arm Wrestling Championship in Tokyo later this year.

Eva Grossmanova, who is herself a former European silver medallist in the women's competition, says that although the Czech Republic is not yet an arm wrestling powerhouse, its results in international championships have been improving slowly:

"Well, we try to do our best, but the Russian, Canadian and American are [still] quite a lot better. But our results are improving. We've managed to win ourselves some medals at every championship."