Gone are the days when man threw a javelin or a discus. With the increasing technological frustration, a time has come that the most overused and possessed equipment, the mobile phone, is thrown – not out of our lives, but just as a SPORT!
The Mobile Phone Throwing CHAMPIONSHIP is the brainchild of a translation and interpretation company, Fennolingua in Savonlinna, Finland. Started in 2000, it has grown to be a national sport and is to conduct the World Championship on 11th March, 2017.
Partnerships
The sport might sound ridiculous, yet would make you want to take it up. Well, that’s the purpose. The organizers believe that humour connects people, and what better way than to do so with a sport that involves one of the greatest inventions of all times. The sport does not stop with just flinging phones over a long distance, but takes a step further in helping to reduce the toxic waste generated by our beloved mobile phones. The organizers partner with local recycling units who ensure that the parts of the sabotaged phone are either disposed in an environmentally friendly way or are recycled.
Rules
The Mobile Phone Throwing Championship is a very light hearted and open-to-all sport; hence, does not have any stringent rules. The only regulation, besides staying in the boundary while throwing, is to not use your own phone. The organizers provide a huge variety in models to choose from, and the participant can take anything (even the aukat ke bahar phones) that suits him/her the best.
Categories
The sport follows the traditional over-the-shoulder throw, and participants can participate in any one of the following categories
- Juniors
These days, children seem to bear a lot more pressure than adults, and probably that is why this category came into being. Children under the age of 12yrs are welcomed here to vent out their frustration, and also have some fun.
- Freestyle
This category welcomes participants either in a group (max 3 persons) or individually, giving more emphasis on the style and aesthetics than the distance covered.
- Original
This category is purely for competitors, for those who do not come for fun, but for some serious business. Participants in this category are judged based on the distance their throw covers.
- Team Original
Similar to Original, but as a team of maximum 3 persons.
Throwing an expensive phone is probably the biggest incentive anyone can get to join the sport. But to add to it, the organizers also give away new handsets as prizes and the other athletes are also given an opportunity to buy new handsets.
The competition has also set world records over the years. The current world record for men stands at 110.42m while it is 60.24m for women set in 2014 and 2012 respectively.
With the increasing number of smartphones, and the amount of toxic waste, the mobile phone throwing championship seems to be a great step in freeing people from their mundane and stressful lifestyles, to engage in an entertaining sport.
‘Channel your frustration and put it to good use’, they said, and Fennolingua clearly did it in style!
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