"Unfortunately the world crisis has reached sports and I am compelled to cancel and transfer the tournament to the next year," Vlad Redkin told IronMind today, referring to the World Strongman Federation scheduled to be held in Russia next month.


The World Strongman Federation competition planned for Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia has been postponed. Logo courtesy of Vlad Redkin.

Expressing both his disappointment and his apologies, World Strongman Federation founder Vlad Redkin said despite this change in schedule, "We continue to work and we plan 6 - 10 stages in 2009 with worthy prize money."

Scheduled for December 13, this World Strongman Federation competition featured some of the top names in the strongman world, including Mariusz Pudzianowski, Janne Virtanen, and Magnus Samuelsson (all of whom have won the World's Strongest Man contest), Dave Ostlund (third place in the 2008 World's Strongest Man contest), and such seasoned competitors as Tarmo Mitt and rising stars such as Louis-Philippe Jean.

According to a letter from Vladimir Karpov, Vice President of the Federation of the Strongest Athletes of Russia, "Sport committee of HMAO-JUGRA has notified FSAR and WSF that financing of carrying out of cup-final WSF cannot be provided in full volume because of financial problems in district. Therefore, planned on 13.12.2008 WSF World Cup is cancelled. Ask to concern it with understanding and to apologize before athletes. But carrying out of strongmen competitions on 2009 and 2010 years, remains in force."

For all you grip guys and everyone else who wants to test their grip while having fun and getting to meet Wade, Karl and Brad Gillingham, mark your calendar and train hard.


The GNC Grip Gauntlet - test your grip strength and have fun at the same time. Randall J. Strossen photo.

Presented by GNC Pro Performance, The Grip Gauntlet is in a class by itself in the grip world - a contest that is at once fun and decisive, with the kind of events, widespread participation and history to make it extra meaningful, and since it's held in conjunction with some of the world's largest fitness expos, everyone who participates in it gets the bright lights treatment.

In the past, GNC has provided a $100 GNC gift card to anyone who can meet the challenge of successfully completing all three challenges (Captains of Crush Gripper, Rolling Thunder and the Blob), but regardless of those details for 2009, you can count on the GNC Grip Gauntlet kicking off its 2009 tour with stops at The FitExpo and at the Arnold, so train hard, make your plans and we'll see you the GNC Pro Performance booth at the FitExpo and at the Arnold.

A small town dared to dream big and when they tapped the right man for the job, plans to stage a major strongman contest in rural Qu�bec not only materialized, but the resulting event - Fortissimus - became one of the top three strongman contests of 2008.


Fortissimus 2008 - consider the lineup: Arild Haugen, Zydrunas Savickas, Andrus Murumets, Ervin Katona, Mark Felix, Travis Ortmayer, Louis-Philippe Jean, Dominic Filiou, Christian Savoie, Sebastian Wenta, Mikhail Koklyaev, Derek Poundstone, and Stefan Solvi Petursson. Artwork courtesy of Paul Ohl.

Paul Ohl, Louis Cyr scholar and strongman supporter extraordinaire, was approached by Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Mayor Carl Dub�, who proposed that Ohl organize a major strongman contest in his town. Paul Ohl agreed, and over the coming months the contest named Fortissimus began to take form.

Fortissimus "brought together 13 world-class strength athletes from 10 countries . . . They were to challenge 10 events, and only one would become the legendary Louis Cyr's modern successor," said Paul Ohl.

With commentary in both French and English, the DVD of the contest has more than two hours of action, and IronMind is expecting to receive the first shipment within a few days - once we actually have the DVDs in hand, we will announce their arrival and put them in the IronMind online store.

Continuing the development of the Highlander Games - a blend of strongman and traditional Highland Games events - D. J. Satterfield has started "an amateur organization called North American Highlander Association, Inc."


There is a quite a of tradition of strongman-Highland Games crossover. Here's Iceland's Andreas Gudmundsson competing in Callander, Scotland in 1994, in a weekend that had both the European Musclepower Championships and Highland Games World Championships on the same field. That weekend, four-time World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Ver Magnusson took a break from strongman and was competing in the Highland Games World Championships, where he took third place. Incidentally, that's Jim Pollock, also of World's Strongest Man fame, keeping a sharp eye on things as Andreas unloads on the weight for height. For more details on that historic weekend, be sure to read the October 1994 issue of MILO. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.


"It will be a mix of strongman and Highland Games," Satterfield said. "In a six-event contest, there will be three of the events that are strongman and three that are Highland Games. We will offer four-, six- and eight-event contests," Satterfield said. "We currently have four state chairs with more being finalized and are working with some Pro strongmen and Highland Games throwers."

For more information, please visit the North American Highlander Association (NAHA) website.

Brad Gillingham is a two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) men's world champion, so don't think he lifts in the masters' category because he couldn't lift anything heavy when he was a mere stripling - for his competitors, at least, the problem is that the older Brad Gillingham gets, the more he lifts.


Officially, he's a masters' competitor, but don't think that means Brad Gillingham's lifts are going down. "The old man," as Brad calls himself lately, pulled this 390-kg deadlift at the 2007 IPF World Championships, which was good enough for the gold medal in the deadlift and the silver medal overall, not to mention making the cover of the March 2008 issue of MILO. Randall J. Strossen photo; image courtesy of IronMind Enterprises, Inc.

Pulling that 390-kg deadlift at last year's IPF Men's World Championships was a pretty big deal, especially considering that Brad Gillingham was 41 at the time. Rather than resting on his laurels, the IPF Hall of Famer was back for more this year as he totaled 1057.5 kg to win the IPF World Masters' Championships, breaking his own masters' world records in the deadlift and in the total. That total represented a 5-kg increase over what Brad did at the 2007 IPF Men's World Championships, but the even bigger news was that Brad's 395-kg deadlift is a lifetime PR.

So, we had to ask Brad whether he's thinking of hitting a 400-kg deadlift and there was no waffle in his answer: "That would be the goal," he told IronMind. "I'm too ornery to quit." And if you want to be on hand to see it, IronMind thinks it would be a good idea to be at the 2009 Arnold, where the USAPL will be hosting multiple powerlifting events and Brad Gillingham is scheduled to be among the competitors.

With this string of successes, Brad Gillingham already had plenty of incentive to keep his roll alive, but how's this for frosting the cake: Brad was in the number one position on the just released 2008 IPF World Rankings, causing the typically-taciturn Gillingham to say, "The old man showed the young guys that he is still around!"

A source close to the negotiations has told IronMind that at this moment, there are no contracts in effect for a 2009 World's Strongest Man qualifying tour.


The World's Strongest Man contest is the competition everyone on the professional strongman circuit wants to win, but even if you are as strong as a forklift, first you have to qualify. Randall J. Strossen photo.

Notably, the agreement between IMG and Super Series that has allowed athletes to qualify for the 2005, 2007, and 2008 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest expires this year, and at this point, IronMind was told that the contract has not been extended.

IronMind will try to follow related developments, but for now, here's the bottom line: There are no agreements between IMG and any parties in terms of qualifying competitors for the 2009 World's Strongest Man contest.

Since the Strongman Champions League World Log Lift Championships was a live broadcast, everything "had to be on a tight schedule, by the minute," Marcel Mostert told IronMind, "something that the athletes normally are not used too."


The Strongman Champions League gave strongman a new twist this past weekend with the live broadcast of its World Log Lift Championships. Here's the lineup of competitors. Photo courtesy of Marcel Mostert.

In another departure from tradition, "Each lift was refereed by three referees like in weightlifting," Mostert explained. The referees were Strongman Champions League founders Ilkka Kinnunen and Marcel Mostert, and Latvian weighlifting star Victors Scerbatihs, who won the bronze medal in the superheavyweight class at the recent Beijing Olympics.

"Oleksandr Pekanov, the Ukrainian strongman, had a personal best of 190 kg coming into this competition, but he missed three times his opener of 180 kg, and had no result in the end, so he was very disappointed about that. Sebastian Wenta (Poland) was very happy with his result - new PR [personal record] in competition, and was also the only one who had three good lifts: 180, 190 and 195 kg. The other Ukranian, Oleksandr Lashyn, did get his best result ever with 195 kg. He missed this one on the second attempt, but finally succeeded on the third attempt and he was happy like a little child when he gets his birthday present," said Mostert.

Newcomer Kryzstof Radzikowski (Poland) and Ervin Katona (Serbia) did an impressive 180 kg, which was also the national record for Serbia, set by Katona. Misha Kokylaev (Russia) did an impressive 195 kg, and he just missed the 200 on his third attempt. This was a big relief for Zydrunas, as he already did 200 kg on his second lift, so he could go for the world record. Although he missed a world record of 212.5 kg , just by a few inches to lock out, he was very happy that his easy 200 kg was enough for a win; because it was in his home country, Zydrunas Savickas needed to win."

"We are all happy with the result," Mostert said. "It was a very nice contest and we will do it next year again, with hopefully a new world record then!"

Here are the top six places:

1. �Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania) 200 kg �(missed 212.5 kg for a new world record)
2. Sebastian Wenta (Poland) 195�kg (new personal and Polish national record)
2. Oleksandr Lashyn (Ukraine) 195 kg� (new personal record)
2. Mikhail Koklyaev (Russia)�195 kg
5. Ervin Katona (Serbia)180�kg (new Serbian national record
5. �Kryzstof Radzikowski (Poland)�180 kg

Chris Rider's idea of good time is doing things like tearing phone books, breaking chains with his hair (!) and bending steel, so guess who just got certified on IronMind's Red Nail®?


Is it really as simple as Chris Rider's shirt makes it sound? Regardless, Chris just certified on the IronMind Red Nail. Den Cenidoza photo.

Chris has performed his feats of strength at the AOBS dinner, which has hosted most of the top performers in this field, giving you an idea of his level of achievement.

Special thanks to Dan Cenidoza of Be-More Training in Baltimore for serving as Chris Rider's referee, and it's official now: Chris Rider has been certified and his name has been added to the Red Nail Roster®, the official list of men who have succeeded on this benchmark short bend.

Shortly after winning the 2008 Strongman Championships League World Log Lifting Championships, Zydrunas Savickas - widely considered to be the strongest man on the professional strongman circuit - told IronMind that he has not yet decided whether or not he will compete in the 2009 Arnold Strongman contest.


It's a familiar image - Zydrunas Savickas winning at the Arnold Strongman contest. So far, the Lithuanian strongman star has notched up six victories in a row, but will he back for a possible seventh in 2009? Image courtesy of IronMind Enterprises, Inc.

Asked about his victory at the inaugural Strongman Champions League World Log Lifting Championships earlier today, Zydrunas Savickas told IronMind, "I am happy that �I won the competition. All athletes were in good shape [and produced] good results." Commenting on his attempt with 212.5 kg, Zydrunas Savickas said, "New world record was very close, but . . . next year, next time."

And speaking of what's next, Zydrunas said, "At this moment I do not think about my next competition. I want to have a rest, because I five years compete without break." And when asked specifically about the 2009 Arnold, Zydrunas Savickas said, "I [have] not decided about next Arnold. [I will] decide in December."

That Zydrunas Savickas won the Strongman Champions League World Log Lift Championships today was not a big surprise - that he narrowly missed breaking his own world record was less expected.

After making 200 kg, Zydrunas Savickas jumped to 212.5 kg in an attempt to break his world record of 210 kg and while he came close, he could not quite lock out the big weight. "He was close, missing the lift by just a few inches," Marcel Mostert told IronMind.

Showing how tight the competition was one step below Zydrunas Savickas, there was a three-way tie for second place: Mikhail Kolyaev, Oleksandr Lashyn and Sebastian Wenta made 195 kg. Koklyaev attempted 200 kg, but he missed the lift.

Erivin Katona and Kryztolf Radzikowski tied for fifth place, at 180 kg.

The contest ran very smoothly, but since it was a live Eurosport production, there was a lot of pressure, causing Mostert to say, "Tonight, I will be ready to de-stress . . . that's for sure."

It might not be in there with the Atlas Stones or a Truck Pull, but the image of a huge guy lifting a "log" has its roots in strongman going back at least as far as the 1980 World's Strongest Man contest, where the mighty Bill Kazmaier hoisted 157 kg, and from there, things have just grown.


This weekend, Zydrunas Savickas has a chance to break his own world record in the log lift for the third time this year. Artwork courtesy of Ilkka Kinnunen.

Following Kazmaier moving the top lift from 157 kg to 170 kg over the next eight years, according to research by Paul Ohl and Marcel Mostert, the mantle of the world's best on the log was passed to Jamie Reeves, always known for his strong shoulders. Reeves got the top mark up to 180 kg in 1992, where it stayed for a decade until Svend Karlsen slapped another 5 kg on the record in 2002, and then Raimunds Bergmanis raised it another 5 kg in 2003.

With that prelude, the age of Zydrunas Savickas was ushered in, and the Lithuanian strongman wasted no time bringing the record to 200 kg in 2004, 205 kg in 2006 and this year, so far, he has broken the record two more times, with marks of 207.5 and 210.

Earlier this year, Zydrunas told IronMind that he expected to do 212.5 kg next, so keep your eyes on the ball this Sunday and see if the Big Z gets his Big 3 in 2008.

With a couple of last minute changes in the competitor lineup due to injuries, here's who is on board for the inaugural Strongman Championship League World Log Lift Championships:

Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)
Mikhail Koklyaev (Russia)
Ervin Katona (Serbia)
Sebastian Wenta (Poland)
Oleksandr Lashyn (Ukraine)
Tobias Ide ( Germany)
Agris Kazelniks (Latvia)
Oleksandr Pekanaov (Ukraine)
Krzysztof Radzikowski (Poland)
Saulius Brusokas (Lithuania)

Marcel Mostert, who is picking Zydrunas Savickas, Kryzytof Radzikowski and Mikhail Koklaev for the podium, was unrepentant in his optimism about this weekend's event.

"We are looking forward to the first live strongman event ever broadcast in 52 countries," Mostert told IronMind. And with the log lift world record in serious danger of being axed, Mostert called it like this: "Again a new standard for log lifting will be established with this world championship, and I predict it will inspire a lot of strongman to go in a few years to 225 kg . . . which will mean that if you are under 200 kg, you are not a top log lifter anymore!"

It's easy to find training routines that should come with a bottle of aspirin - not for the aching muscles, but rather for the headache you'll get reading a description of the program.


It should come as no surprise that one of the three keys to gaining muscular size and strength is hard work, and about ten years ago, it became fashionable in some circles to talk about how hard one trained. Zlaten Vanev - a favorite of longtime IronMindians - isn't talking and he isn't curling for bigger biceps in the Sofia gym where the Bulgarian national weightlifting team was training in 1998 - he's rehabilitating his arm. Vanev had already broken his arm once at that point on an attempted world record jerk, and before he was done, he would add two more broken/dislocated arms to his legacy. "Clap for the Wolfman" and consider that the next time you're ready to tell yourself or someone else how hard you train. Randall J. Strossen photo.


The funny thing, though, is that the basics are really very simple, and if you want to know the essence of what it takes to get bigger and stronger, be sure to read the latest "From the Quarry" by Steve Jeck.

Follow the menu from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage to Steve Jeck's "From the Quarry" or click here.

Just in, here's the official start list for the 2009 All-American Strongman Challenge, scheduled for January 24 - 25 at the FitExpo.


Brian Shaw, shown testing the Plane Pull at the 2008 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, is expected to have a huge 2009, so plan to be on hand when Brian Shaw and other top strongman competitors kick off next year's strongman season at the All-American Strongman Challenge. Randall J. Strossen photo.

According to the prepared statement received by IronMind, "The All-American Strongman Challenge will determine the American athletes to compete in the 2009 World's Strongest Man Super Series.� The top six athletes will receive All-American Team Honors and the top athletes will get an invite to one of the Grand Prix stops on the 2009 WSM Super Series, which is one step from qualifying for the 2009 World's Strongest Man."

Also on the line is $10,000 in cash, Haugen told IronMind today, and although nothing has been announced officially, there is a possibility that the winner of this contest could be invited to compete in the 2009 Arnold Strongman contest.

Competing in this contest is by invitation only, and here's the official list of who has been invited and who has confirmed that they will be competing:

Derek Poundstone
Travis Ortmayer
David Ostlund
Brian Shaw
Kevin Nee
Jason Bergmann
Pete Konradt
Karl Gillingham
Marshall White
Nick Best
Mark Philippi
Jason� Kristal

Alternates: Ryan Bakke, John Conner, Grant Higa, Jim Glassmann, Carl Foemmel

In response to a comment about the impressive quality of this field, Haugen told IronMind, "I got the best."

The FitExpo is scheduled for January 24 - 25, so make your plans to attend. For full event details, please check the official

Eric Frasure has had a standout year and he didn't disappoint his fans as he wrapped up his 2008 Highland Games season with another big win - Francis Brebner calls the action for IronMind from Mississippi Gulf Coast Highland Games and State Championships.


Eric Frasure capped off his 2008 Highland Games season with another win. Jayson Tisdale photo.


Frasure Wins 2008 Mississippi Gulf Coast Highland Games and State Championships by Francis Brebner

With a crowd of 15,000 spectators and a beautiful day of sunshine, Eric Frasure finished off his Games season on a high, clearing 19' in the weight over the bar in his third Games in succession and also setting several new field records.

In the opening event of the State Championships, the Braemar stone putt, Chris Chafin claimed the first win over Frasure, with a putt of 38' 1", with Frasure in second at 35' 5" and David Little in third at 33' 3".

But in the 18.6-lb. open stone, Frasure marginally took the win over Chafin with 43' 1-1/2". Chafin was second at 42' 9" and David Little held onto third place with 36' 1".

Frasure took advantage of his three extra attempts and established a new field record of 48' 1-1/2".

In the 56-lb. weight for distance, surprisingly it was Chafin with a throw of 39' 1-1/2" who took the win over Frasure, who, after having two fouls, played it safe by taking only one turn to keep from fouling again and produced a great distance of 38' 9". In third was Kearny Smith at 33' 9".

But in the 28-lb. weight for distance, Frasure found his form with a whopping 87' 9" for first place, leaving Chafin in second at 78' 5" and Smith in third at 60' 8".

The 22-lb. hammer was won by Frasure at 103' 3"; Chafin was second with 86' 1" and Smith in third with 80'. Frasure had extra attempts and set a new field record with 112' 3".

In the 16-lb. hammer, Frasure again won, with a throw of 130' 6"; Chafin took second place with 107' 11" and Smith took third with 98' 10". Frasure had extra attempts and once again set a new field record of 132' 10".

The caber event was a home run, you could say, for Frasure, who was the only athlete to turn this 125-lb. and 20' long beast, with an 11 o'clock winning toss; Chafin was second with a 75-degree attempt and Smith was third with 65 degrees.

In the sheaf toss, Frasure thrilled the crowds by tossing the sheaf a winning height of 30'; in second was Smith with 28' and in third was Chafin with 22'.

In the last event of the competition, Frasure again surprised us by tossing the 56-lb. weight over the bar 19' for his third Games in succession; Chafin was in second with 17' and Smith in third with 15'.

Overall points:

Eric Frasure 11 points
Chris Chafin 19
Kearny Smith 31
David Little 38

Frasure said that this was a great end to his Games season, establishing several field records, and was very happy once again throwing the 56-lb. weight over the bar a height of 19'; he gave credit to his strength coaches, Mike Yartin and Mike Golden: "These guys know their stuff. Next season should be interesting."

Grip guy Chad Woodall has just added another feather to his cap with his proven mastery of the IronMind Red Nail, a benchmark short bend.

Not just a consistent winner in the many grip contests he enters, Chad Woodall also competes in strongman, and he was one of the first people to contact IronMind to express his interest in the major drug-tested strongman contest Phil Pfister had originally planned to run earlier this year.

IronMind would like to thank Scott Allen for being Chad's official witness, and to Chad, we say, "Way to go! Your name has been added to the Red Nail Roster®, the official list of men who have succeeded on this benchmark short bend."

Going six for six sounds good, but when contest time rolls around, how do you pick the attempts that will give you your best meet?


Stefan Botev nailed this 240-kg clean and jerk on his first attempt at the 1996 Olympics, on his way to the bronze medal. At the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships, a few days before he competed, Stefan Botev used a heavy "control" workout to help guide his attempts, and based on his performance, instead of choosing unrealistic weights on contest day, he selected wisely: Botev went five for six, leaving town with a gold medal and two bronze medals. Randall J. Strossen photo.

Ace weightlifting coach Jim Schmitz addresses this challenge of choosing the best attempts in the latest installment of "Schmitz on the Lifts," so if you want to get an idea of how to boost your chances of having a perfect day, study up.

To read the latest "Schmitz on the Lifts," go to the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind home page and select "Schmitz on the Lifts," or follow this link.

John Brookfield and Jon Bruney laid into a 31,000-lb. truck last Saturday, pulling it for a mile, and as tough as that was, John Brookfield told IronMind, "I am planning to do some more pulling events, making it even harder than this one."


John Brookfield (left) and Jon Bruney (right) on their record truck pull last weekend. Photo courtesy of John Brookfield.

In strongman, there's a joke about the times the vehicle keeps rolling whether or not it's being pulled, but not so in this case as "the last 300-plus yards had a substantial upgrade," Brookfield said. "I learned from the driver that during this part of the pull, the truck actually wanted to roll backwards."

"We had great success with the truck pull," said Jon Bruney.� "I feel that the extreme cardio training before the event�really prepared us for a world record performance.� The final�climb up the hill was a great test of mental and physical endurance."

FIT Barbell is hosting the 2008 Golden West Open on November 9, and besides presenting some top American weightlifters, this contest gives you a chance to be a part of "the longest running weightlifting meet in the USA," said FIT Barbell's Rob Earwicker.


Among her distinctions in weightlifting, Kate Corbin holds all the PWA women's junior records in the 75-kg class. Photo courtesy of Rob Earwicker.

For full details, including how to watch this meet live online, please check the official contest website: Golden West Open.

John Brookfield has long been high on the endurance scale and in this month's Grip Tip, he uses repetitive stone lifting for an all-around strength and conditioning workout that will give your fingers and wrists plenty of training, too.


Overall strength and conditioning, along with grip and wrist strength training - that's what the workout in John Brookfield's latest Grip Tip delivers.

He calls it "Up the Down Staircase," and it might leave you feeling as if you are swimming upstream, but John promises big benefits in exchange for your efforts, so plunge in and have some fun.

Follow the link to John Brookfield's Grip Tip from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage or click here.

It's the final leg of the 2008 World Strongman Federation (WSF) season, and former World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Samuelsson has just been added to the list of competitors who will be testing their strength in Khanty-Mansiyak, Russia on December 13.


Watch for Magnus Samuelsson in the final competition of the 2008 World Strongman Federation season. Randall J. Strossen photo.

Samuelsson joins a field that includes two other World's Strongest Man winners, Janne Virtanen and Mariusz Pudzianowski: "We have three world champions . . . [this is] great," World Strongman Federation founder Vlad Redkin told IronMind.

Explaining that he did no training for a few weeks after this year's World's Strongest Man contest, Magnus Samuelsson told IronMind that things are going well, and when he was invited to join the field, his reaction was, "Why not", especially because his friend Janne Virtanen spoke so highly of Vlad Redkin and his strongman competitions.

And as for his sometimes troublesome back, Samuelsson said it's doing well at the moment, and for proof of that, the man that to many is the face of strongman said he is deadlifting 300 kg for 8 reps in training - his personal indicator that all's well.

The IHGF has just announced the official line-up of competitors for the 2009 IHGF World Team Highland Games Championships, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.


The Antigonish (Nova Scotia, Canada) "are the oldest, continuously running Games outside of Scotland." Art courtesy of Francis Brebner.

As reported by Francis Brebner, here are details on the teams, as well as some background information.

Team Canada 1 � Greg Hadley & Lyle Barron
Team Canada 2 � Matt Doherty & Dirk Bishop
Team USA 1 � Sean Betz & Will Barron
Team USA 2 � Ryan Vierra & Mike Zolkiewicz
Team Scotland � Craig Sinclair & Steve Aitken
Team Inter � Petur Gudmunsson & Tommy de Bruijn

The IHGF has been working closely with the committee of the Antigonish Highland Games and Rod Hadley, the athletic director for the championships.

The Antigonish Highland Games are the oldest, continuously running Games outside of Scotland. In 2009 it will be celebrating its 146th anniversary. The Games are held the third week of July at the beautiful Columbus Field in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and typically draw 20,000 spectators from around the world.

Antigonish has a long history of hosting top international competitors: Bill Anderson, Grant Anderson, Keith Tice, Ryan Vierra, Francis Brebner, Matt Sandford, Dan Markovic, Wout Zjilstra, Doug MacDonald, Jim McGoldrick, and Alistair Gunn, to name a few, have graced Columbus Field going back 30 years. In fact, many of its field records are held by these legends.

All involved at the Antigonish Highland Society are thrilled at the chance to host the IHGF World Team Event and look forward to setting a standard of hospitality and athletics that will go unmatched.