A group of 16 from the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association will be in Brittany this weekend for the European championships of the International Federation of Celtic Wrestling, writes Howard Tindall.
The championships generally have been hosted every two to three years by a different member country, but due to Covid they last took place in Iceland during 2019 when the CWWA male team were crowned European champions.
The championships take place over two days with our wrestlers competing in their own backhold style and in gouren, the traditional “jacket” style of Breton wrestling which has certain similarities to judo.
The CWWA team consists of three under-21-year-old wrestlers and seven senior competitors, all drawn from the four Carlisle, Kendal, Waberthwaite and Rothbury wrestling academies.
Every Friday evening since November they have been travelling to Carlisle to train in both styles in order to defend their current European championship title against the very strong competition expected in Brittany.
Breton and Icelandic wrestlers regularly visit the UK each year to compete at CWWA events during the summer season, so many of them are expert both in their own style of wrestling and in backhold.
The increasing international popularity of backhold also means that wrestlers from Spain, Austria and elsewhere all add significantly to the challenge our wrestlers will face.
Covid represented a worrying period for Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, but all four academies quickly got back into action and the number of youngsters taking up the sport and wrestling during the winter season has been greater than ever before.
Early this year a group of 18 competed very successfully at the Breton backhold championships, and the forthcoming CWWA summer season with around 50 scheduled events is eagerly anticipated.
The immediate priority is this weekend’s European championships which for the younger members of the CWWA team will be their first opportunity to compete at this highest level.
Youth is also blended with experience as some of the senior wrestlers were members of the 2019 championship team and the coaches provide the benefit of
many years of wrestling competition and success.
A lot will have changed since the last European event but the CWWA team is well prepared and nothing is being taken for granted.
