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Germany Names Phone-Toss Champion

DW staff (dc)June 26, 2005

Illness left Thomas Chedor unable to compete anymore in javelin throwing, but the 36-year old German can now rejoice in being the new national champion when it comes to chucking mobile phones, Finnish style.

https://p.dw.com/p/6pop
According to Finnish rules, each person only gets one shot at gloryImage: dpa

Chedor beat 50 competitors at a mobile phone tossing competition held in Bielefeld, Germany on Saturday to become the country's first ever champion in the sport known as "Finnish Rules Mobile Phone Throwing."

He threw his phone a whopping 77 meters, securing himself a spot in the second mobile phone-throwing world championship competition, to be held in Finland in August.

Those crazy Finns

Handyweitwurf
The compeition is open to kids, too. Nine-year-old Markus managed a 30-meter throw.Image: dpa

Germans are discovering the joy of pitching mobile phones through the air thanks to Finnish Nordic walking trainer, Virpi Staar, who heard about the new form of competition invented in her homeland, and imported the idea to Bielefeld.

"The Finns can sometimes be a little crazy," she said.

Eager to prove that the sport has a future, the Finnish organizers allowed Staar to organize a qualification tournament in Germany. Further qualification rounds are also due to take place in Britain, Israel, Norway, Austria, Russia and Switzerland.

Accompanying Chedor to represent Germany in Finland later this summer will be the winners of the freestyle team competition in Bielefeld. Michael Juling, Joachim Nelsbach and Kay Sallach won the judges over with their attempt to grill several old mobile phones, only to conclude that "they don't taste good."

Seems the handsets are better suited to flight after all.