The first-ever Western Cape Arm-wrestling Championship took place at Perdeberg Wines in Paarl over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s national championship taking place in Gauteng in April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe event is the qualifier effectively for the national champs later in the year,\u201d says Sean Christie, event organiser and member of the SAAF committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s website where all the clubs are listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor most people there will be a club within a striking distance. It is a sport that tends to be very familial. Often you\u2019ll 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\u2019ll have juniors all the way through to the grandparents. We\u2019ve got a few grandmasters here in their 60s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot people started with arm-wrestling since the lockdown and it is very addictive. You can do it at home. You don\u2019t have to pay an expensive gym membership subscription. It is lekker<\/span>. Probably most of the people here [at the event] have driven out from Cape Town, but because we\u2019ve got such a big growth in the Winelands around Paarl and Stellenbosch we decided to have it here in the Drakenstein.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that there is more to this sport than people think, noting that arm-wrestling a sometimes looked down upon and undermined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first-ever Western Cape Arm-wrestling Championship took place at Perdeberg Wines in Paarl over the 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