About 200,000 spectators of all ages and from all over Switzerland flocked to the 41st Swiss Federal Wrestling & Cowherd Festival in Aarau from 24 to 26 August 2007. This was a wrestling festival of superlatives and the installation of a large screen allowed everyone to follow the bouts, not just spectators with ringside seats. Over the weekend, 279 burly wrestlers battled it out under summer skies to win the title of “Wrestling King”.
For this Swiss version of wrestling, competitors wear special shorts of coarse drill over their trousers, with a slit at the back allowing the stipulated grip on the belt. A contest consists of one round lasting 10-12 minutes. The winner is the wrestler who throws his opponent onto his back with both shoulder blades touching the ground, without losing his own grip on his opponent’s shorts. If neither wrestler succeeds within the allotted time, the round is considered a draw. A contestant receives 8-10 points per round, depending upon whether and how he won or lost.
The Federal Wrestling Festival takes place every three years, with eight rounds fought over two days.
The winner of the National Festival holds the title of “Wrestling King” for three years. Title holder and favourite Jörg Abderhalden from Toggenburg kept his title with seven wins and one draw.
Although the festival largely revolves around Swiss-style wrestling, other unique Swiss sports are also represented, for example “Hornussen”. Very simply explained: using a carbon fibre whip, teams of 18 take turns to hit a puck or “nouss” as far as possible over a field where the opposing team stands armed with large boards on long handles, which they throw into the air to try and stop the nouss. The further the nouss flies the higher the score.
Another tradition is Steinstossen (stone throwing) which involves throwing the famous 83.5 kg Unspunnen stone as far as possible. The current record (Nov. 2007) is 3.89 metres, held by Markus Maire from Plaffeien in the Swiss canton of Fribourg. The event also attracts Switzerland’s best yodellers, flag throwers and alphorn players.