The Swiss wrestling, its jute breeches and its edelweiss shirt were a man’s affair for centuries. But women, more and more numerous, also want to do battle in the sawdust.
Schwingen, the German name of the most Swiss of the sports practiced in the Alpine country, sees two competitors trying to tackle the opponent on his shoulder blades, while grabbing his panties with one hand.
If 6,000 men are dismissed, there are only 200 women and girls officially registered and in the face of strong traditions, they have been forced to create their own competitions, even if the practice is identical.
But for many a union between the two circuits is only a matter of time: the judges, the families and the places of competition are very often the same.
But not yet this year. The men’s event of the great Romande wrestling festival – in the French-speaking part of Switzerland – took place the day after the women’s event… on the same four rings covered in sawdust in Romanel-sur-Lausanne .
Women wrestlers “are still not accepted among men – not in the same federation”, notes Anne Cardinals, president of the organizing committee, to AFP, “but they will try to get there one day”.
If a few thousand spectators were expected to see the men, there were only a few hundred the day before.
“We expose the sport. People who do not know it discover it”, explains Brigitte Foulk, spokesperson for the Association romande de combat suisse femme, founded in 2019.
And the original handful of female wrestlers in the French-speaking west has now grown to 34 female fighters.
“It’s growing little by little, by word of mouth. The sisters see their brothers struggle and want to try,” said Ms. Foulk.
The sport is deeply rooted in the folklore of rural Switzerland and mainly in the German-speaking cantons.
The tournaments are televised live and the best wrestlers become celebrities.
The national festival, first held in 1895, takes place every three years and attracts crowds of over 50,000 people.
The winner is crowned King of the Schwingers.
The sport is convivial, cultivates its peasant roots and remains a matter of amateurs.
Each fight begins and ends with a handshake and the winner wipes the sawdust stuck to the loser’s shirt.
In Romanel-sur-Lausanne, the wrestlers faced off in 32 degrees Celsius and after a day that saw each face six opponents in 5-minute bouts, they cooled off by dipping their heads into a water trough.
Traditional music and yodelling are in order and the first prize for men is usually a bull. This year, equality obliges, Isabel Egli, champion of the Romanel-sur-Lausanne festival, won a heifer.
An exceptional price. “Five years ago, we won a pot of honey and everyone was happy,” recalls a competitor, Franziska Ruch, president of the Federal Women’s Wrestling Association.
Face covered with sawdust, Antonia Bucher, 18, told AFP that most female wrestlers come from a family where a brother, a father practices Swiss wrestling or, as in her case, following the example of friends.
The apprentice carpenter recognizes that “not everyone accepts” women. “Older men think women (should) be in the kitchen. Not all of them, but many.”
Bob Blanchette, one of the main judges of the Romanel festival, talks about ongoing talks for the men’s national federation to share resources and opportunities with women.
“There’s no reason why women can’t take part and men can’t help them promote the sport,” he said, adding: “It’s been a lot of work to change mentalities.”
As for champion Isabel Egli, the 26-year-old nurse from the Lucerne region in central Switzerland, says she struggles to achieve the feat she has achieved. “It’s just beautiful,” she says.
08/11/2023 12:58:05 – Romanel-sur-Lausanne (Switzerland) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
