Dave Jean Kameron
More than fifty professional and amateur arm wrestlers from throughout Penang, Kedah and Perlis took part in the Malaysian Arm Wrestling Championship (Northern Series), 2012, which was held here in Stadium Darul Aman in Alor Setar yesterday.
The championship was a joint effort by the Armsport Association of Malaysia (MAA), the National Sports Council of Malaysia (MSN) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia (KBSM).
The two day tournament was divided into men’s and women’s championships and was further categorized into three divisions by their weight class, namely the 80kg and above division, the 70 to 80kg division, and the below 70kg division.
In a brief interview with CJMY, one of the referees said that this tournament adheres to the the World Arm Wrestling Federation (WAF) regulations.
He explained that there were complex rules governing this sport, such as that the wrists of the wrestlers cannot be bent (known as ‘wrist rolling’ in arm wrestling) during a competition.
“If it is, then wrestlers must straighten their wrists without a time lapse of sixty seconds. If it is still bent after that, it will result in a false start”, he added.
Furthermore, fouls are given penalties, such as lifting the elbow off from the wrestling table or away from the matted area (elbow pad) when the ‘battle’ is under way, as well as, trying to escape a possible arm pin by breaking the grip with the opponent, may all result in an automatic loss.
The championship is the first in a series of tournaments planned to be held in different states throughout Malaysia. The grand final is scheduled to be held in Malacca at the end of the year and will see all the winners of the regional competitions battling it out with each other to win the title of “Arm Wrestling Champion of Malaysia” and a chance to take part in the next World Arm Wrestling Championship.
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