Estavayer-le-Lac in canton Fribourg has been chosen to host the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Games Festival in 2016.
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The small town on the southern shore of Lake Neuchâtel fought off stiff competition from Geneva and Colombier, canton Neuchâtel, to claim the right to hold the popular three-day festival.
A total of 150 of the 200 delegates from the Swiss Alpine Wrestling Federation present in Aigle on Sunday voted for Estavayer-le-Lac.
The main event of the festival is Schwingen – the traditional Swiss sport of alpine wrestling . The winner is crowned the Schwinger King, takes home a young bull and other prizes, and enjoys a hero’s status.
Other traditional sports, such as Hornussen, a team event, and stone throwing, are showcased.
The festival has a budget of SFr20-25 million ($21-27 million). The last event in Frauenfeld attracted some 200,000 spectators. The 2013 games are due to take place in Burgdorf, canton Bern.
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The main event is Schwingen – the traditional Swiss sport of alpine wrestling – and the winner will be crowned the Schwinger King and enjoy a hero’s status. “We are expecting 200,000 visitors and there will be a great contest, and a great atmosphere. It’s a huge event in Switzerland,” said Urs Schneider, head of…
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It was finally Jörg Abderhalden who took the honours on Sunday for the third time at the Federal Wrestling Festival, but his win was overshadowed by the sudden death of one of the competitors the day before. It’s hard to find an event with more tradition in Switzerland. The festival started early on Saturday, the…
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Swiss photographer Robert Huber has published an illustrated book of Swiss Schwingers – wrestlers – ahead of the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Games Festival 2010. The often homoerotic images, in which 18 men try to get each other to the floor, convey the sport’s power, emotion and techniques.
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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.