Wife carrying ( or akankanto,, ) is a contest in which male competitors race while each carrying a female partner. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced in 1992 at, Finland. Several types of carrying may be practised: either a classic piggyback, a fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders).

History

originated in Finland. Tales have been passed down of a man named (aka the Robber ). This man was thought to be a robber in the late 1800s who lived in a forest. He supposedly ran around with his gang of thieves causing harm to villagers. From what has been found, there are three ideas as to why/how this sport was invented. Firstly, that and his thieves were accused of stealing food and abducting women from villages in the area he lived in, then carrying these women on their backs as they ran away (hence the "wife" or woman carrying). The second suggestion is that young men would go to neighbouring villages, and abduct women to forcibly marry, often women who were already married. These wives were also carried on the backs of the young men; this was referred to as "the practice of wife stealing". Lastly, is the idea that trained his thieves to be "faster and stronger" by carrying big, heavy sacks on their backs, from which this sport evolved. Though the sport is often considered a joke, competitors take it very seriously, just like any other sport. Wife carrying contests have taken place in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Germany, the UK and other parts of the world besides Finland and nearby Sweden, Estonia and Latvia, and the sport has a category in the Guinness Book of Records.

Rules

The original course was a rough, rocky terrain with fences and brooks, but it has been altered to suit modern conditions. There is now sand instead of full rocks, fences, and some kind of area filled with water (a pool). These are the following rules set by the International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee: While the International rules are the basis for all competitions, rules and prizes do vary for each competition. The Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually in, Finland, since 1992 (where the prize is the wife's weight in beer). The Sonkajärvi Wife Carrying Ltd (Sonkajärven Eukonkanto Oy in Finnish) owns the Trade Mark Wife Carrying (Eukonkanto in Finnish) and has official partners globally who have the right to hold licensed Wife Carrying Competitions.

World champions

Countries

Australia

Australian Wife Carrying Championships have been held annually since 2005.

North American

The North American Wife Carrying Championships takes place every year since 1999 on Columbus Day Weekend in October at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom Wife Carrying Race was established in 2008, though the "sport" is claimed to have taken place "with help from our Scandinavian cousins" for around 1200 years from 793AD when Viking raiders raided villages and abducted wives.

United States

The US final takes place on the second weekend of July in Menahga Minnesota (MN-St. Urho Wife Carry for Charity Challenge). Major wife-carrying competitions are also held in Monona, Wisconsin, Minocqua, Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan.

In popular culture