Dear readers, it’s my task to give you an account of how the competition ran. Most of you watched the event on TV or online, thus I’ll focus on what was going on behind the scenes. I’ll write about everything, without sparing the organizers.

Let’s start with the media coverage! It was just great! There was a live coverage of the event on TV in Ukraine and Russia all day long. And of course you could enjoy live streaming on the Internet. The traffic on our website, armpower.net, thickened during the championship, too.

The equipment used to broadcast the show was brought from the USA, and included video taps, mixers and other gadgets. Everything was really impressive. By the way, I’ve almost forgotten to mention the opening ceremony. Not only was it the best opening ceremony of world championships in the history of our sport, but it was the best show I’ve ever seen! And I’ve happened to see many shows of this type, believe me. The ceremony was directed with attention to detail. Lights, fireworks or whatever it’s called, gadgets, lasers and many other stuff was there! The movie displayed during the ceremony, a short cartoon about the history of Poland, was very moving. And I’m not exaggerating the facts.

What else was great about the championships? Everyone was impressed with the sports arena, where the competition was held, as it was modern and spacious.

Did the competition run smoothly? I guess, for the first time the competitors didn’t have to wait for weigh-ins for everything was precisely planned and went according to the schedule. The organizers made sure the competitors did not waste time.

All the announcements were displayed on big screens so everything was clear and each competitor knew exactly when they were to appear on the stage.

There weren’t any delays. Axel in the role of the announcer was just great! He knew how to strike a balance between “making show” and providing accurate information.

The girls responsible for making sure the results were recorded correctly did great job! They were determined and focused like the crew of the spaceship. Four days of hard work. Each competitor should be grateful to them for their incredible job. Of course I mean Nastia and Olessia – “Official voices of the Championship”.

Thanks to the technical team led by Marcin we had access to the Internet and didn’t experience any power cut. Nerves of steel and surgical accuracy.

What should also be emphasized is that the arena was filled with a sporting atmosphere every day. The competitors were engaged in fierce combat, but once they left the table you could see mutual respect and friendly attitude.

What’s peculiar to combat sports is that the tougher the opponent, the more respect you have for him! You know it best.

What else?

The finals on the third and fourth days of the competition with the band “Chassis” playing live were awesome!

What about the referees? Generally speaking, there weren’t many protests, only a few people complained. When it comes to the referees, there’s only one thing I’d like to highlight. One should not referee a match between his compatriots! It’s unacceptable! It’s my opinion. And I have every right to say so for I used to be a powerlifting referee for a couple of years. 

My dear readers!

Is there anything I can pick on? Was there anything I didn’t like?

Well, frankly speaking, there was one thing I didn’t like! It was raining on the second day of the competition

See you next year!

Good luck!

PeSzy