Gardone Rivera Hosts 22nd World Arm Wrestling Championships
Eight hundred eggs, hectoliters of coffee or milk, hundreds of croissants. Yesterday morning, the Grand Hotel di Gardone Riviera had to draw on its food reserves. During breakfast, the athletes staying at the hotel (only a fraction of those participating in the World Arm Wrestling Championships) devoured everything in sight, fueling up for the start of the competitions.
The Parade and the Start of the Competitions
Then the parade: 300 meters on foot to the tent set up in the parking lot below the «La Terrazza» sports center. Inside, as soon as they arrived, they began with Mameli’s anthem and the speech by the president of the World Federation, Slovak Milan Capla. A moment of panic arose due to the holes in the competition tables, which were not spaced according to regulations. Our technicians had placed them a few centimeters from the edge, forgetting that measurements are given in inches. Panic ensued.
Technical Intervention and Tournament Numbers
But «Batmat» (alias Luca De Santi, the blacksmith from Gardone Sopra) arrived swiftly, armed with a drill. This championship, now in its 22nd edition and held in Italy for the first time, features impressive numbers: 28 participating nations (another five withdrew due to the war and visa difficulties), 480 athletes—including about one hundred women and around forty disabled competitors—and 270 doctors, officials, masseurs, and referees.
Participants and Organization
Not to forget the accompanying persons: wives, children, friends, supporters, who also provided work for the hotels in nearby towns (Salò, Toscolano). A true festival, with bartenders along the lakeside forced to run to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.
Attendees and Competitions
The United States team is the largest (around eighty participants) and loudest. Under the tent, cheers, whistles, and applause fill the air. A single unfavorable decision from a referee (all dressed in strict black-and-white striped shirts, like in ice hockey), prompts boos and whistles.
Italian Athletes and the Future of the Competitions
The Italian team fielded 60 representatives. The first to reach the finalists was a young woman from Bergamo, Annarella Brevi, in the 80-plus kilogram category. However, it will be late into the evening before the winners are announced—those competing with their left arm (men and women) and the masters («the elderly»). Today, competition resumes at 10:30 a.m., and tomorrow it will conclude.
Conclusion and Satisfaction
Exhausted and hungry (he only ate a sandwich late in the afternoon), Claudio Rizza, the heart and soul of the event, is beaming with happiness.
