Скачать или смотреть Germans compete in finger-wrestling championship in German town of Pang

(28 Apr 2025)
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Pang, Germany - 27 April 2025
1. Wide of finger-wrestler being pulled over table
2. Close of fingers latching onto leather loop
3. Wide of wrestling match
4. Wide of new champion being lifted in air
5. Winner and loser congratulating each other
6. Mid of guests in beer tent
7. Wide of guests toasting with beer
8. Mid of band playing
9. SOUNDBITE (German) Georg Hailer, Chairman of finger-wrestling club Fingerhakler Schlierachgau:
“There are several rumours about the origin of this sport. In the past people used it to settle disputes. People just said 'I’m going to pull you over the table'. Or when it was about women it was better to pull someone across the table instead of starting a real fight.”
10. Close of wrestler during match
11. Close of wrestler pushing with legs against table
12. Wide of wrestling match
13. Wide of beer tent and match
14. SOUNDBITE (German) Georg Hailer, Chairman of finger-wrestling club Fingerhakler Schlierachgau:
“It’s not dangerous at all. It’s always being portrayed as being super dangerous. You’re going to rip something and so on. Of course, there will be open wounds and small injuries on the fingers from time to time. It looks worse than it really is because there’s blood. But within a week, at the most after ten days, all wounds are healed, and you can start training again. That’s better than football, because when you rip your tendons in football, it will at least take a few weeks.”
15. Mid of wrestler training outside beer tent with leather loop
16. Wide of wrestlers preparing outside beer tent
17. SOUNDBITE (German) Maximilian Woelfl, competitor from Laufach:
“There are different techniques - how do I sit at the table? How do I transfer my power as quickly as possible to the loop? And of course you need a well-trained finger.”
18. Wide of wrestler stretching outside tent
19. Mid of wrestling match with crowd in background
20. Wide of crowd applauding
21. Mid of wrestling match
STORYLINE:
Men in short leather pants and embroidered suspenders risked dislocated digits Sunday as they vied for the top prize at Germany's championship in the sport of fingerhakeln, or finger wrestling.

Around 180 competitors took part in Sunday’s 64th German championship in Pang, about an hour’s drive southwest of Munich.

It's thought that finger wrestling, popular in Germany’s Alpine region and neighbouring Austria, originated as a way to settle disputes.

The earliest depictions of the sport go back to the 19th century. Participants on Sunday wore the traditional Bavarian dress known as tracht.

Two competitors sit on opposite sides of a table and each hooks one finger — usually the middle finger — through a small leather loop.

As soon as a referee signals the start, each contestant tries to pull the other across the table swiftly. The whole thing usually lasts a few seconds, and dislocated fingers are common.

Special attendants sit behind each athlete to catch them should one of them suddenly lose his grip and fly backwards.

The winner moves to the next round. By custom, only men take part.

Today fingerhakeln is highly organized and follows strict rules starting with exactly defined measurements for both the table and the leather loop.

In Sunday's championship, there were several winners in different weight and age categories.

There are nine clubs in Germany and another four in neighbouring Austria, said Georg Hailer, chairman of Germany's oldest and biggest club, Fingerhakler Schlierachgau.










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