For starters - the most reliable opinion on the event. Judyta Wiercińska has seen all kinds of competitions - small, local events and world-scale tournaments. Judyta says with enthusiasm:
I was shocked how well-prepared they were in all aspects of organizing armwrestling events. Truly ALL! There were no fees and athletes got T-shirts for free, there was also a free barbeque for them during the event. The medals and cups will definitely stand out among the competitors' trophies. Open for juniors, seniors and masters! Awesome!
The local authorities, including the mayor, were cheering all the time, too.
And what's most important...
The second edition... Apparently...
armpower.net - Unfortunately, I couldn't go but I received many positive messages and feedback during and after the event. How? What? Where? I will ask the organizer first to give you an idea. Results are here:
Let's start with the name which is, needless to say, a little exotic.
Vlad Dan explains - let's hear from the mastermind behind this event.
"My hometown is a part of Transylvania and is located 30 km away from the Bran castle, home of Dracula."
As you can see in the pictures, the atmosphere is both museum- and fairytale-like.
Vlad - tell us about the event.
Dracula Armwrestling International Cup, a successful first-edition event, an event with 118 athletes from 9 countries, an event of extraordinary value that will lure in countless athletes in the future. I think so because, just like this time, we will offer many perks for competitors, "no" fees, sponsor gifts, free shirts, a hot meal, real medals, beautiful cups and rewards!
armpower.net: No entry fees and real rewards are things that are hard to find in our sport.
Vlad Dan: It's the perfect formula to reward the struggle of athletes so that they work even harder. It's good that the local governments have realized that organizing local sports events promotes our area, and sponsors also know their companies are gaining recognition due to their engagement in the event.
armpower.net: Of course! I'm the first one that will go see Dracula's castle next year! You have my word.
To sum up:
We took a big step thanks to international attendance and I hope that this competition will be one of the strongest international events of IFA.
Our Polish athletes also went to fight in Transylvania and Przemysław Ciba succeeded. How did you like it?
Przemysław Ciba:
It was a really fun event. Not just sports-wise but they were very well-organized. The event was really professional. There were many experienced referees present, from Poland they were Judyta Wiercińska and Mariusz Zbylut who did great, as always. The competition had good security too. The organizers cared about the athletes, provided a professional masseur who worked day to night during the whole event. But I also can't remember any serious injuries happening. A good idea was introducing the Open Junior, Senior and Master categories, that's where the real fighting happened. The medals were also wonderful, certificates and cups as well. There were also financial rewards in Open categories.
Local websites say:
Sportspeople from 10 countries competed in the first edition of "Dracula Armwrestling International Cup” organized by Arm Power Federation in collaboration with the city hall and the Codlea Local Council. The event hosted about 120 athletes from Serbia, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Greece, Ukraine, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania. It's the first event of this range with both male and female participants and it was recognized by international media for good organization on the Romanian side and the impeccable input from Codlea, good referees and fair-play spirit.
Time to BRAG:
"The logistics were handled professionally by a Polish team and the referees were coordinated by Judyta Wiercińska from Poland. A surprisingly generous business community supported their competition with financial sponsoring, products and services."