Wife-carrying World Championship: A unique sport that originated from robbery
Those of you who have watched the 2015 Hindi film ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ by director Sharat Katariya are well aware of a competition where the husband has to carry the wife on his back. You might have thought that it was the director’s or script writer’s imagination. Well, you are wrong! Wife-carrying World Championship, or Eukonkanto, does exist and in reality. It is a unique sport in Finland. Male athletes compete in this very competitive sport, each carrying a female comrade (mostly their wives). The challenge is that that man must carry his lady through a unique, obstacle course in the shortest time. The Wife-Carrying World Championship is conducted annually in July at Sonkajarvi, Finland, where the sport was first popularized. In 1992, Finland hosted the world's first Wife-carrying World Championship, and foreign competitors were allowed to compete from 1995. Let's explore how it all began and much more.
Theories behind the origin of Eukonkanto
The sport of wife-carrying actually has a shady past. According to the official website of the wife-carrying championship, the sport is based on the 19th-century mythology of Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen, also known as ‘Ronkainen the Robber’. Yet, there are various versions of how the sport came into existence.
According to one version of the origin theory, Ronkainen the Robber, a Finnish mobster from the 1800s, led men on raids in local villages. They would rob people and steal women, carrying them on their shoulders as they fled. According to another version, Rosvo-Ronkainen and his men would visit nearby villages, steal other men's wives, flee with the women strapped to their backs and then force them to marry them. And in yet another story, Rosvo-Ronkainen is reported to have trained prospective new gang recruits to run a challenging course while carrying large sacks to demonstrate their strength for the raids. This may be how the competitive sporting element came into being. The competition regulations still contain this spirit of wife-stealing.
The wife must weigh at least 49 kgs!
Although it may sound like mere fun, the International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee has established the rules for the competition, just like any other serious sport. Men from any nation can participate in the championship by paying an entry fee of $25 per couple.
To be eligible, he must be 21 years or above. The woman to carry need not be the participant's spouse. She could be his neighbour’s wife or even someone he just met at the competition! However, she must be at least 17 years old and weigh a minimum of 49 kg (108 pounds). If not, she will be burdened with a rucksack with the remaining weight, raising the total load the man must carry to 49 kg.
Men can use any carrying technique, including the traditional piggyback, the fireman's carry (over the shoulder), and the Estonian carry (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders). Sounds insane, doesn’t it? Now he must cover an official racetrack 253.5 meters long (277 yards), with one, meter-deep water obstacle and two dry ones. Only a belt and a helmet worn by the carrier are the permitted equipment. Participants are responsible for their own safety as well as insurance. Dropping their ‘wife’ incurs a 15-second time penalty!
The prize is quite unique!
This annual race attracts high-spirited couples from across the globe. After each championship, first runner-up, second runner-up, the best costume, strongest carrier, and most entertaining couple receive special awards. But, of course, the grand prize is beer. Yes, you read that right!
The wife's weight in beer is awarded to the winner of the Wife-Carrying World Championship. The teammate who was carried sits on a teeter-totter while beer is placed on the other end of the teeter-totter until the exact weight is established, at which point the prize amount is determined. This is probably the only championship with alcohol as the prize.