Although some information has already been posted on our site, we’ve decided to sum up the available information in one place.

1.Project geography. TOP 16 will begin this spring. The exact date and place have not yet been decided. Bouts are going to take place all over the world, in many locations.

2.List of contestants. Some of the fighters on the list are not well known. That doesn’t mean that they are weaker than the star fighters. Let us remind you, that Chaffee wasn’t known at all before the Nemiroff World Cup 2013, and nobody would have even imagined him taking 3^rd place. May people ask about the legendary John Brzenk, the constantly evolving Michael Todd, Richard Lupkes and other famous names. Of course, they have all received an invitation. Their not being on the list is mainly the result of their UAL contracts. All possible consequences are listed in pt.5
 

3.The financial aspect. TOP 16 is going to be the most expensive project in the history of the sport. The project’s budget has not yet been announced, that will happen very soon. With ongoing negotiations with sponsors, signing of contracts and making deals, it’s hard to talk hard numbers, the costs are growing daily. The contestants’ salaries are already official, they will be revealed after the contracts have been signed. To cast some light on the source of financing of this project, it’s worth mentioning that Igor Mazurenko has sold the FitMax supplement company to get more financial backing. Additional sponsors have signed up after the PAL expansion in the USA. After the deals have been signed, their names will be revealed too.

4.Schedule. In each round, the contestants will fight 4 – 7 times, until 4 wins of one fighter. The shortest bout can end in 4 rounds, the longest – 4:3.

5.Duties. Recently, PAL and UAL have signed a cooperation deal. TOP 16 is a PAL “child”, requiring a separate deal. If an armwrestler is bound by contract to UAL and wants to compete in the TOP 16, they must first break the UAL contract. One of the rules of TOP 16 is that a contestants cannot start in any other armwrestling event. This is not in order to “weed out” competition, as many think. TOP 16 is going to be played in installments, and all contestants have to be ready for every installment. One cannot afford an injury or an armfight that clashes in dates with a TOP 16 bout. That would mean choosing between events, and facing financial consequences.

6.Admittance. 8 contestants will drop out of TOP 16 each season. The rest will automatically proceed to the next season. Those who drop out, will follow on to the Nemiroff World Cup. The Nemiroff, in turn, will determine which new 8 contestants will get into the next TOP 16.
 

Artur Grigorian © Gra