Tug of war…with a stick?

The Arnold sports Festival will be held in Columbus Ohio in March 2nd-5th of 2017. The festival features 18,000 athletes competing in 70 sports and events, including 14 Olympic sports throughout Columbus. But of all the events going down, we think “mas wrestling” is one of the most unique sports you’re going to see.

Mas Wrestling is basically a one one tug of war match with a stick. Both competitors start in a seated position opposing each other. The aim of the game is to either grab the stick out of the opponent’s hand by either yanking, twisting, or pulling, or pull the stick over the demarcation line. The rules allow adjustment of body and feet position for leverage.

The sport originated from the Yakhut (northeastern Siberia) game “mas tard’yhyy”, which means “stick tugging” in Russian. In 2003, Mas wrestling was registered by the All-Russia Sports Registry. It is formally governed worldwide by the International Mas-Wrestling Federation.

Why should you watch? What’s great about anything attached with the “Arnold” label is that it’s usually the best. This means you get to witness the most premiere athletes in the sport compete on a huge stage. Mas wrestling is no different, with the most barrell chested competitors displaying unreal chest, core, leg, and back strength. If none of that works for you, it’s two huge guys fighting over a stick, what’s not to love!