EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | Contact
As the Olympics sadly comes to a close after three weeks of impressive athletics and a sturdy supply of memes, Brisbane natives are now getting their strongman fix by turning to Ekka’s flagship event – the proud and sexy sport of woodchopping.
Run for over a century, the woodchopping and sawing competition is one of the most popular exhibitions in the Ekka show, where axemen and women compete to see who can chop their wood the fastest.
This includes competing for titles using various techniques, such as tree felling (cutting from the side), ‘Standing Block’ (cutting wood that is held horizontally in a cradle) and the crowd favourite, ‘Underhand’ (cutting wood while standing on it).
So popular is this event, that there are now rumours circulating that woodchopping and sawing could be added as one of the additional sports in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, which would give the nation an advantage at securing a gold given that the sport originated in Tasmania.
Though it can’t be confirmed as of yet, the sport would perfectly adhere to the Olympic sport guidelines, which stipulates that a sport must be steeped in tradition, popular in the host country and generate significant media and public interest, and have ‘beefy competitors’
More to come.
