In Appenzell on Sunday, the best wrestlers will put on their Zwilchhosen. One of them has crossed the Atlantic for the Federal Anniversary Wrestling Festival. Thomas Badat is traveling from Canada.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On Sunday, September 8, the Federal Anniversary Wrestling Festival will take place in Appenzell.
- The best wrestlers will be competing for the "Alpstein" winner's muni. Thomas Badat from Canada, who has already competed at the Swiss Wrestling Festivals in Zug and Pratteln, will also be there.
- In the arena with 18,000 spectators, the successor to local Thomas Sutter will be determined.
On Sunday, several thousand people will make the pilgrimage to Appenzell to take part in the wrestling spectacle of the year. The best 122 wrestlers in the country will compete at the Swiss Wrestling Jubilee Festival. Or rather: the best wrestlers in the world are at the start.
Thomas Badat, a Swiss abroad, will be stepping into the sawdust ring. Badat lives in Quebec, Canada, and wants to take on Giger and Co. in Appenzell. However, a glance at his statistics shows that the 27-year-old farmer, who speaks flawless Swiss German with a slight English accent, is unlikely to be a threat to the really bad guys.
Badat competed at the Swiss Wrestling Festival in Pratteln two years ago. On the second day of the competition, he was just a spectator. After losing four rounds out of four fights, he was already finished after the first day. In Zug 2019, his adventure at the Swiss nationals was also only four courses long. At least he managed to win the third course with a flat throw.
Delicacies to start and no wreaths
It remains to be seen who Badat will face in Appenzellerland. Only the top pairings were announced by the division on Thursday afternoon. Wrestling king Joel Wicki will shake hands with Samuel Giger at the start, while season dominator Fabian Staudenmann will face explosive wrestler Werner Schlegel.
Only victory counts at the anniversary wrestling festival. There are no wreaths to be won - just like at Unspunnen and Kilchberger. So far, four festivals have been held with the title "Jubiläumsschwingfest". The event is repeated every 25 years, although it has not been held at this interval.
Appenzeller Sutter is inherited in his homeland
This year, the festival stands alone. When it was held in 1919 and 1995, the jubilee wrestling festival took place as part of the Swiss Wrestling Festival. In 1995, Thomas Sutter was crowned wrestling king and winner of the last jubilee festival in Chur.
Sutter's successor will be decided on Sunday in his home town. blue Sport will be reporting live. In front of 18,000 spectators, Giger, Staudenmann and Co. will fight for the "Alpstein" winner's muni.
