"They are the strongest men of ten different countries," Paul Ohl said of the competitors who will be invited to Fortissimus 2008: The Louis Cyr World Strength Challenge, "and they have confirmed that they will challenge the decathlon of strength so to be recognized as the Mightiest Man on the Planet."


Paul Ohl, Chairman of FORTISSIMUS 2008, at the Louis Cyr monument in Montreal, Canada. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Hélène Leclerc and FORTISSIMUS.

After the latest planning sessions - which included a six-hour meeting - Fortissimus 2008 Chairman Paul Ohl confirmed the following points for IronMind®, which we quote from his report:

1. FORTISSIMUS 2008 will be all-inclusive, and history in the making may be the main story.
2. The number of contestants has been raised to ten in order to make room for the best of best.
3. The total prize money has been increased to US$53,000.
4. All equipment of all events will be independent from any strongman organization, from local to international.
5. The equipment will be tested in the sole presence of members of the steering committee.
6. The testers' names (if more than one) will be kept anonymous. They will not be related in any way to any strongman organization or any individual competitor. They will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
7. The referee will be appointed on the basis of total impartiality, deep knowledge of strongman contests, and total observance of the written rules that will be in force for the contest. These rules will be made available in at least four different languages.
8. The events will be officially released by March 15, 2008.
9. The official list of the ten confirmed competitors will be released by December 10, 2008, at the latest.

Fortissimus 2008 continues to capture the interest of the strongman world, as it promises to break the mold, and in a very interesting and positive way. "It will be history in the making," Paul Ohl told IronMind®.