Svend "Viking Power" Karlsen told IronMind® that he hopes his comments regarding future participation in WSMC contests were not misunderstood.

"I have never had anything against World Strongman Cup," Karlsen told IronMind®, "and I never meant to discredit them in any way."

Karlsen was addressing the recent brouhaha surrounding the WSMC contest on Kish Island, in the Persian Gulf.

"Arild [Haugen] is a young guy," Karlsen explained, "and he did not mean to offend anyone or break any laws. Someone should have made it clear to him that in Iran, men are not allowed to touch women . . . it should have been explained to him that he was not allowed to lift up those Iranian girls. My objection was to the way this was handled because no competitor should have been forced to sign a statement with his name plus 'stupid.' "

Karlsen commands great respect in the strongman world, having won the sport's most prestigious contest - World's Strongest Man - and being a leader off the field as well.

Adding further clarity and emphasis to his comments, Karlsen said, "I hope that nothing I said in any way jeopardizes the relationship between Arild and World Strongman Cup because Arild is on his way to becoming the biggest thing ever in strongman."