The Wife-Carrying Championship in Finland

1.

The Wife-Carrying
Championship in Finland

2.

Wife-carrying has its roots in the late 1800s
when a gangster named Rosvo-Ronkainen
living in Sonkajärvi, Finland accepted only
men who can go through and accomplish a
challenging race – stealing women from
neighboring villages. Stealing women isn’t a
practice anymore in the Finnish villages but
the sport that emerged from it has become a
tradition that’s been annually done since
1992.

3.

There are certain rules to follow during the
competition as stated by the International Wife
Carrying Competition Rules Committee:
1) The length of the official track is 253.5
meters with a sand track surface.
2) The track has two dry obstacles and a water
obstacle about one meter deep.
3) The wife to be carried may be your own, or
the neighbor’s, or you may have found her
further afield; she must, however, be over
17 years of age.
4) The minimum weight of the wife to be
carried is 49 kilograms. The minimum
weight of the wife to be carried is 49
kilograms.
5) If a contestant drops the wife, he has to lift
her on to his back or in his arms and
continue carrying.
6) The only equipment allowed is a belt worn
by the carrier and a helmet worn by the
carried.
7) The winner is the couple who completes
the course in the shortest time.
8)Also the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the
strongest carrier will be rewarded with a special prize.

4.

There’s also a team competition wherein
three men carry the wife in turns. There’s
also a team competition wherein three men
carry the wife in turns (it’s alcoholic for sure
which probably adds to the fun of this race.)
There are different ways the carriers can
carry their wives: the piggyback, over the
shoulder also known as the fireman’s carry,
and the Estonian-style where the wife hangs
upside-down with her legs around the
carrier’s shoulders while holding onto his
waist. Besides Finland, the wife-carrying
sport is also enjoyed in Australia, USA, South
America, Hong Kong, and Estonia which
carries the wife-carrying world record of 55.5
seconds.

5.

6.

Thank you for your attention