Greetings, CRUX sports enthusiasts! We hope you’re having a great week. Today, we’re excited to continue our exploration of unusual sports and delve into the exciting world of wife-carrying.
WIFE-CARRYING
Wife-carrying is a sport where male competitors race while carrying their female partners through a special obstacle course in the fastest time possible. The sport originated in Finland and is known as eukonkanto or akankanto in Finnish, kärringkånk in Swedish, and naisekandmine in Estonian. The sport was first introduced in Sonkajärvi, Finland, and has since gained popularity in several other countries around the world.
This unique sport has several carrying styles, including classic piggyback, fireman’s carry (over the shoulder), and Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders). The origin of the sport is unclear, but it is believed to have stemmed from the legend of a robber named Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, who lived in a forest in Finland in the late 1800s. Some believe that he and his gang of thieves abducted women from neighboring villages and carried them away on their backs, which led to the sport’s name. Others believed that young men would abduct women from neighboring villages to forcibly marry them, and the practice of carrying them on their backs gave rise to this unique sport. Lastly, it’s suggested that Rosvo-Ronkainen trained his thieves to be “faster and stronger” by carrying big, heavy sacks on their backs, from which this sport evolved.
Despite being considered a joke by some, competitors take this sport very seriously, just like any other sport. Wife-carrying contests have taken place in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Germany, the UK, and other parts of the world besides Finland and nearby Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia. It even has a category in the Guinness Book of Records!
RULES
The original course was a rough, rocky terrain with fences and brooks. However, it has been modified to suit modern conditions, with sand instead of full rocks, fences, and a pool. The International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee has set the following rules:
1. The most important rule is to have fun when carrying a wife.
2. The length of the official track is 253.5 meters (832 ft).
3. The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle about one meter deep.
4. The wife to be carried may be your own, your neighbor’s, or someone you found elsewhere, as long as she is over 17 years of age.
5. The wife is a gender-free term used to refer to the carried person (the gender rule changed in February 2023).
6. The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kilograms (108 lb). If she weighs less than 49 kg, she will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to bring the total load to be carried up to 49 kg.
7. All participants must enjoy themselves.
8. The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier and a helmet worn by the carrier.
9. The contestants run the race two pairs at a time, so each heat is a contest in itself.
10. Each contestant takes care of their safety and, if necessary, insurance.
11. The contestants must pay attention to the instructions given by the organizers of the competition.
12. There is only one category in the World Championships, and the winner is the couple who completes the course in the shortest time.
13. The most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier will be awarded a special prize.
14. While the International rules are the basis for all competitions, rules, and prizes may vary for each competition.
The Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland, since 1992. The prize for the winner is the wife’s weight in beer, which adds an extra layer of excitement to the competition. The Sonkajärvi Wife Carrying Ltd owns the trademark for Wife Carrying (Eukonkanto in Finnish) and has official partners globally who have the right to hold licensed Wife Carrying Competitions.
We hope you found this detailed information on wife-carrying interesting and informative. Stay tuned for more exciting sports updates!
