The first-ever Western Cape Arm-wrestling Championship took place at Perdeberg Wines in Paarl over the weekend.
The hall was filled with excitement while the crowd cheered the participants on. The championship was hosted by the South African Arm-wrestling Federation (SAAF). More than 70 athletes participated with the hopes of competing at national level at SAAF’s national championship taking place in Gauteng in April.
“The event is the qualifier effectively for the national champs later in the year,” says Sean Christie, event organiser and member of the SAAF committee.
“It draws in athletes from nine clubs spread out between Bonteheuwel and Mossel Bay. It is a very accessible sport. We find that it is growing very quickly. It is a very engaging sport and people get hyped up.”
According to Christie there is about forty arm-wrestling clubs across the country, spanning over all nine provinces. Those who are interested in joining a club can visit SAAF’s website where all the clubs are listed.
“For most people there will be a club within a striking distance. It is a sport that tends to be very familial. Often you’ll find a grandson, a mother, or a grandmother at the competition, competing in different classes. It is also very accommodating in that way, because you’ll have juniors all the way through to the grandparents. We’ve got a few grandmasters here in their 60s.”
Christie, who is also an arm-wrestler, says they have seen a great spike in the growth of arm-wrestling since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“A lot people started with arm-wrestling since the lockdown and it is very addictive. You can do it at home. You don’t have to pay an expensive gym membership subscription. It is lekker. Probably most of the people here [at the event] have driven out from Cape Town, but because we’ve got such a big growth in the Winelands around Paarl and Stellenbosch we decided to have it here in the Drakenstein.”
He added that there is more to this sport than people think, noting that arm-wrestling a sometimes looked down upon and undermined.
“A lot of people still think oof this as a tavern sport. There is an association with that and muchoness as well, but if you watch it, it is such a technical sport and in fact it is a non-violent martial art, except all the technique is in the hands and in the wrists. I think there is a popular perception that arm-wrestling is for big hulking people, but actually you watch somebody who is technically proficient beat somebody twice their size. It is very gratifying to watch.”
