On August 12 2012, the 35th annual Alpine Finger Wrestling Championships were held in the town of Lenggries, Germany. Lenggries is 1.5 hours from Munich by car/train, and about 10 miles north of the border with Austria:
According to The Local (a web site with German news in English), "finger wrestling" (fingerhakeln in German) is basically a one-finger tug-of-war taking place across a table. A contestant wins when he pulls the other across a set line on the table.
It is a formal, regulated sport in Bavaria and parts of Austria with rules governing the dimensions of the leather band used between competitors fingers, size of the table, and weight classes. The Championships are rotated between Alpine towns in Bavaria and Austria.
Short YouTube video of the event:
And another video that shows one wrestling match:
Tradition says that finger wrestling was used as a way to settle disputes in the mountain towns, as far back as the 17th century. Other sites claim it was a drinking game, and that a written record from 1878 said "one frequently sees, in Tirol, men with fingers bent nearly double on the right hand". Ouch.
Here is an old photo from Schwangau, Germany (thanks to trachtler.org):
Also, women are not allowed to compete. "It just does not fit" said one member of the Isargau Finger Wrestling Club (the host of the 2012 Championship).
Before the start of a match -- two "wrestlers" and a referee (from an article at The Mirror):
This year, 150 men participated, most dressed in traditional clothes -- lederhosen. They take the, um, sport, quite seriously. Many start training months in advance using weights, stretch-bands, etc. In photos, you'll see their fingers (always the middle one) chalked up like a weightlifter. Regardless of preparation, strained tendons, bleeding fingers, and pulled muscles are common occurrences.
Close-up of the leather band connecting the competitors (from sulekha.com):
The intensity and PAIN are obvious during the match. I'm fascinated with the attenpts to gain leverage by getting low, bracing feet below the table or knees on the edge of the table, etc (again from The Local):
Behind each wrestler sits another guy, who will catch his teammate if he flies backwards. The crowd this year looked to be perhaps 150 people, but a lot of press organizations picked up the news story:
Almost forgot: the team from Ammergau (in the Bavarian Alps) won the competition. (I could not find the list of individual winners.) Congratulations!