Swiss ‘Schwingfest’ wrestling tournament to draw big crowds
Switzerland’s top wrestlers are gathering for a national tournament that is expected to draw big crowds and big bucks for the best performing athletes.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
The Federal Wrestling and Alpine Games Festival (Schwingfest) takes place every three years and is being hosted in Pratteln, near to Basel, this year.
Defending champion Christian Stucki will head a cast of 274 wrestlers, which include two Canadians and four Americans.
Historical records from afar back as the 13th century show wrestlers taking part in trials of strength and agility. The action takes place in a sawdust ring where wrestlers grip each other’s shorts and try to throw their opponents onto their backs.
The national festival dates back to the end of the 19th century and is a major date in the Swiss sporting calendar, attracting a high level of media coverage. Crowds of up to 400,000 people are expected to attend the three-day event in person with many more watching on television.
Swiss wrestling can also prove lucrative for the top athletes. Last year, the best wrestlers collected around CHF2.2 million ($2.3 million) in endorsement revenues.
The winner of the tournament, or ‘king’, can expect to make several hundreds of thousands of francs per year, topping CHF1 million in income between Schwingfest events.
But the main motivation for participating is to celebrate Swiss custom and for the honour of competing. The tournament champion receives a bull – or ‘Muni’ – as the main prize and the top 15% of wrestlers get a wreath and a special title: ‘Eidgenoss’ or ‘Confederate’.
More
More
Five things to know about Swiss wrestling
This content was published on
Now in its 44th edition, the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Games Festival, or ‘Schwingfest’ has been going since the end of the 19th century, and attracts spectators from at home and abroad. With around 250,000 people expected over three days it’s the country’s biggest sporting event, but what’s the draw? The Federal Wrestling Festival has…
Swiss government moots CHF10 million funding for UNRWA
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland will pay CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
This content was published on
A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland has its 2019 ‘schwingen king’
This content was published on
Christian Stucki has won the national championship title in Swiss wrestling, known as schwingen, making him the latest ‘schwingen king'.
This content was published on
Now in its 44th edition, the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Games Festival, or ‘Schwingfest’ has been going since the end of the 19th century, and attracts spectators from at home and abroad. With around 250,000 people expected over three days it’s the country’s biggest sporting event, but what’s the draw? The Federal Wrestling Festival has…
This content was published on
As the ads say, a Swiss king isn’t crowned – he has to fight for it. And so it was that the 30-year-old GlarnerExternal link, a 114-kilogram (251 pounds) bear of a man from the community of Heimberg, near Lake Thun, won the championship title in Swiss wrestling, the national sport known as “schwingen”. Over…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.