MEN trying to pull each other across the table and wrestling until their fingers bleed – this is the Alpine sport that is still reserved solely for men.
It involves two competitors, matched by age and weight, sitting across a table and hooking their middle finger into a leather loop.
Once the referee says go, they pull on the loop with their finger to try and drag their opponent over a marked line on the table.
The sport combines finger strength, technique, and a high pain threshold.
Behind each wrestler sits a catcher, to prevent the contestants from falling as they fight to establish who can manage to pull the other over the table to them.
Finger wrestling, known as “Fingerhakeln” in German, is a traditional sport that originated in the Alpine regions of Europe and is now practised in Bavaria and Austria. The sport is less common outside these Alpine regions.
This summer, at an ice rink in Mittenwald, Upper Bavaria, finger wrestlers fought for the title in the 70th championship, each seeking to pull each other across the table.
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