First official arm-wrestling competition for Garden Route
Saturday, 25 November, saw the first official arm-wrestling event on the Garden Route.
It was held at the Oubaai Hotel and Spa in Herold's Bay.
The successful, well-attended Western Cape Classic event was organised by Arno Rossouw from Bodywave strength and fitness training gyms in Mossel Bay and Stilbaai and the Mossel Bay Arm-Wrestling Academy (MBAWA).
Two council members, Anton Dellemijn and Annatjie Janse van Rensburg attended and met and encouraged the Mossel Bay athletes.
Rossouw views this ice-breaking competition of pure muscle as just the beginning of some exciting initiatives, sparking and expanding both participation and interest in this Olympic sport. He is training athletes from Mossel Bay to participate in the African Olympics in March 2024 in Ghana. Training others is his talent and having been bullied, empowering children became his passion.
Families
This unique, well-organised sport involves entire families, creating a platform for children from the age of six to adults into ripe age, to participate, to build confidence,
strength, skill, as well as endurance.
The referees, a force to be reckoned with, are professionally trained and registered. The athletes participate in a solo capacity and might have to compete against their own club members. There was a good spirit and unique, exhilarating atmosphere.
It was difficult to single out one club, but the award for participation, support, encouragement and team spirit went to Fraaiuitsig club, Wellnezone. Monique Maritz and Louis de Klerk go out of their
way to recruit children and women athletes into the sport.
There are currently about 40 arm-wrestling athletes in the greater Mossel Bay area.
A total of 28 athletes from eight different clubs representing the Western Cape competed in Saturday’s event with both arms.
Categories
These were the categories: children, women and youth, and in the men's categories: 80kg and below, 90kg, 100kg and 100kg plus.
The Mossel Bay Arm-Wrestling Academy (MBAWA) adheres to international standards by following the rules and regulations of the World Arm-Wrestling Federation. The Mossel Bay Academy belongs to the South African ArmWrestling Federation, a regulatory and quality assurance body affiliated with the International World Arm-Wrestling Federation (WAF).
Both the Mossel Bay Arm-Wrestling Academy and the South African ArmWrestling Federation are registered members of SASCOC (The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee).
The next MBAWA West Cape Classic event will be held during the Easter holiday in 2024, in Mossel Bay. In the pipeline is also a South vs North King of the Table event, to be hosted by Mossel Bay Tourism.
Arno Rossouw (Mossel Bay Academy) won the left arm for under 80kg. In the women's competition, Hanel Wilkinson (Mossel Bay Academy) won the left arm and Monique Maritz (Wellnezone), the right arm.
In the children's competition, Tiaan Labuschagne (14) of Wellnezone won left arm and right arm.