Below you will find a list of names, categorized by weight category. Numbers on the list do not indicate any ranking of the contestant.

1. Valentin Bobrovich, category below 70kg. This contestant already had a taste of Nemiroff – in 2008 Valentin placed first in right-hand combat. 5 years have passed since then. Armwrestling has changed, the contestants are on a much higher level now. Will Bobrowich make a comeback and be at the top again? I’m sure Valentine is in top form. Recently I saw him perform at the Minsk Championships, where he’s shown once again why people think of him as one of the best in Belarus. He placed first in his category. It wasn’t an easy victory, but it was worthy. How he performs in the main event of the year – we’ll soon find out.

2. Dmitry Shmykov, category +95 kg. Multiple European and world Champion. Dmitri is ready to face the world’s most powerful armwrestler. Last World Championship he didn’t show top form, but let bygones be bygones, let’s focus on the future. It will be interesting to watch Dymitr perform, especially left – handed.

3.Third Belarussian representative could be International Master of Sports Alexander Jankowski. This distinguished armwrestler placed fourth in open category in Nemiroff World Cup. Recently it has come to light that his drug testing after the last World Cup proved positive. So we will not see him start in the World Cup.

4.Belarussian armwrestling veteran, International Master of Sports, Oleg Mackiewicz will start also. He started a couple of times in Nemiroff before, he even took the podium, but years go by.

5.We won’t be seeing the Distinguished Master of Sports – Viktor Bratchenya, who saw victory at Nemiroff World Cup 2005. Victor „suspended” his career this year after the European Championship, where he was tested positive for drugs. But Bratchenya still tries to rehabilitate himself in the world of armwrestling, because the substance found in his blood was prescribed as medication, not performance enhancement, as shown by doctor’s papers.

Only two professionals from Belarus will make a start in Nemiroff. The Belarussian spectator team will be some 20 people, many of whom think themselves ready to start on international level. In the future half the spectator team might become full-time contestants in the World Cup.

Artur Grigorian