World Strongman Cup Federation Explained

World Strongman Cup Federation
Size:180px
Type:Sports federation
Formation:2004
Headquarters:Salzburg, Austria
Website:world-strongmancup.at

The World Strongman Cup Federation ("WSCF") was a worldwide organisation within strength athletics that claimed to be the sport's organising body with the aim of making "the Strongman Sport more popular and accessible for a wide range of the people." Its motto was "be strong". It was also a charity. The Federation organised the World Strongman Cup one of the main competitions in the field of strength athletics boasting participation from some of the foremost strongmen around the globe. It was a separate competition from the World's Strongest Man, the Strongman Super Series (producing a World Champion) and the IFSA World Championship). It has since been replaced by the World Strongman Federation's World Cup.

History

Until completion of the 2004 World's Strongest Man competition, the IFSA managed the annual World's Strongest Man contest. However, that year saw an acrimonious dividing of the sport with the IFSA forming its own competition and with the World's Strongest Man ("WSM") continuing to be organised by TWI, an IMG Media company. The WSM itself was never a federation, but an event organised commercially. When the IFSA formed their own competition and banned their contracted athletes from competing in the WSM, the World Strongman Cup Federation ("WSCF") filled a void and signed up many of the non-IFSA athletes. At the 2005 WSM finals, two thirds of the athletes were under contract with the WSCF.[1] Since its inception the WSMCF has organised events in many countries including: United States of America, Canada, Germany, Austria, Russia, Serbia, Poland and Spain. Its flagship event was the World Strongman Cup.

Following a financial dispute with the World Strongman Cup Federation Vlad Redkin, one of its chief organisers, left to found the World Strongman Federation. Following Vlad's departure, the WSCF ceased to promote events and effectively disappeared from the strength athletics landscape. In September 2007 an event in Khanty-Mansijsk formerly affiliated to WSMC and featuring its athletes was promoted by Vlad Redkin. This event had its name changed at short notice from WSMC to the Grand Prix of Khanty-Mansijsk (Russia) and in effect was the first WSF event. The reason given after the competition by Redkin was that a combination of financial reasons as well as concerns over WSMCF's stated aim of forming closer ties with the International Federation of Strength Athletes led him to part company with WSMCF. He initially planned to cooperate closely with the World Strongman Super Series in 2008, but in fact set up a new federation called the World Strongman Federation.[2]

World Strongman Cup
Location:Varies
Establishment:2004
Format:A number of Multi-event competitions within an annual tour
Final Year:2007
Final Champion: Mariusz Pudzianowski

World Strongman Cup

The World Strongman Cup has been run since 2004. It is organised as a tour event with many competitions held throughout the globe. The overall winner is ascertained through the cumulation of points scored across the season.

List of Champions

Year Athlete Nationality
2004
2005
2006
2007

2004

Name and LocationChampionRunner-Up3rd PlaceDate
Gran Canaria, Spain
Mykhailo Starov Raivis Vidzis Ralf Ber28 February 2004
Villach, Austria
Ralf Ber 3 April 2004
Immenstadt, Germany
Raivis Vidzis22 May 2004
Plattling, Germany
Ralf Ber Raivis Vidzis26 June 2004
Bad Häring, Austria
Raivis Vidzis10 July 2004
Świnoujście, Poland
Ralf Ber31 July 2004
Subotica, Serbia
Ralf Ber4 September 2004
Moscow, Russia
Raivis Vidzis2 October 2004
Edmonton, Canada
Ralf Ber11 December 2004
Raivis Vidzis

2005

Name and LocationChampionRunner-Up3rd PlaceDate
Minsk, Belarus
Ralf Ber Antanas Abrutis7 May 2005
Wexford, Ireland
Antanas Abrutis Tarmo Mitt Glenn Ross21 May 2005
Wakefield, England
Glenn Ross Brian Irwin Jesse Marunde5 June 2005
Denver, Colorado, United States
Raivis Vidzis Glenn Ross Ralf Ber2 July 2005
Bad Häring, Austria
Mariusz Pudzianowski Mykhailo Starov Ralf Ber6 August 2005
Ladysmith, Canada
Raivis Vidzis Ralf Ber Ed Brost28 August 2005
Nuremberg, Germany
Franz Beil Ralf Ber Mykhailo Starov18 September 2005
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Raivis Vidzis Jesse Marunde Elbrus Nigmatullin17 December 2005
Raivis Vidzis Ralf Ber Tarmo Mitt

2006

Name and LocationChampionRunner-Up3rd PlaceDate
Riga, Latvia
Elbrus Nigmatullin6 May 2006
Armagh, Northern Ireland
Tarmo Mitt27 May 2006
Minsk, Belarus
Mariusz Pudzianowski Raivis Vidzis Elbrus Nigmatullin17 June 2006
Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany
Jarek Dymek Mykhailo Starov Tarmo Mitt1 July 2006
Moscow, Russia
Mariusz Pudzianowski Janne Virtanen Elbrus Nigmatullin31 July 2006
Vienna, Austria
Stoyan Todorchev Vasyl Virastiuk Ervin Katona22 October 2006
Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland
Mariusz Pudzianowski Sebastian Wenta Stoyan Todorchev25 November 2006
Podolsk, Russia
Mariusz Pudzianowski Elbrus Nigmatullin Stoyan Todorchev16 December 2006
Elbrus Nigmatullin

2007

Name and LocationChampionRunner-Up3rd PlaceDate
Riga, Latvia
Tarmo Mitt13 May 2007
Moscow, Russia
Janne Virtanen Stoyan Todorchev Derek Boyer1 July 2007
Dartford, England
Mariusz Pudzianowski Stoyan Todorchev Terry Hollands22 July 2007
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Stoyan Todorchev Tarmo Mitt Elbrus Nigmatullin8 September 2007
Mariusz Pudzianowski Stoyan Todorchev Raivis Vidzis

Charity

The charity aims to reduce and tackle obesity in children by helping more children to take part in sporting activities. It is the charity's belief that "As these children become more interested in and able to enjoy sports of their choosing, their physical and emotional conditions show significant improvement. This provides a strong foundation for improved self-confidence and happiness for all participants." The federation believes that their athletes can act as positive examples.

References

  1. http://www.world-strongmancup.at/englisch/start.htm World Strongman Cup Federation official site
  2. Web site: Vlad Redkin Leaves WSMC . . . Stoyan Todorchev Wins Contest in Russia . January 13, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101124020406/http://ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2007/Sep/Vlad_Redkin_Leaves_WSMC____Stoyan_Todorchev_Wins_Contest_in_Russia.html . November 24, 2010 .

External links