The results of the North American Open Mas-Wrestling Championship were summed up in Calgary

For the second year in a row, Calgary has hosted an open continental championship in Yakut mas-wrestling. This year, in addition to local athletes, competitors fr om Brazil, Indonesia, Lebanon, France, and the United States took part. 

An important moment of the championship’s formal opening ceremony was the welcome address by Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Pavel Pinigin, who had come to Canada to take part in the official events marking the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The celebrated wrestler felt it was his duty to support the staging of international competitions in the Yakut national sport on Canadian soil and warmly greeted the organizers, championship participants, and the many spectators. 

The President of the Canadian Mas-wrestling Association, Andrew Bolinger, and his colleague Courtney Houllihan, noting the significance of the half-century milestone and the presence of such an honored guest at the championship, thanked Pavel Pinigin for his attention and, on behalf of all Canadians, presented him with a commemorative souvenir. 

A notable feature of the championship was the participation of students from a Christian school, who delivered excellent results. Throughout the year, they train in mas-wrestling and, at the end of the school year, take part in large-scale school competitions in strength sports. Coach Jesse Roest selects the most promising athletes and, with the consent of their parents, offers them the chance to compete in adult events. This is how these young athletes step onto the big stage. 

On this day, an automated system for recording competition proceedings was tested. The system was created by Andrew Bolinger, who would like to share his experience with colleagues from other national federations in the future. 

The two hosts, Nathaniel Blaise from Edmonton and Jesse Roest, spent the entire day on their feet. Taking turns, they kept the audience engaged, holding their attention throughout and providing commentary on everything happening on the mas-wrestling platform, along with explanations of the sport’s rules. From time to time, they reminded spectators that what they were watching was not just a battle for prize medals and the title of the strongest on the continent, but also a fight for coveted tickets across the ocean to Russia for the World Mas-Wrestling Championship. 

And the sporting journey will not end there — on the contrary, it will continue. The champions will be welcomed in the homeland of the sport, Yakutia, wh ere celebrations will be held to mark the 30th anniversary of the Yakut Mas-Wrestling Federation. In honor of this milestone, a unique tournament will take place: the Open Team Mas-Wrestling Cup, scheduled for December 5 at the Triumph Sports Complex. 

Only 30 years have passed since the official recognition of stick-pulling as an independent sport, and yet what remarkable results have been achieved! In this relatively short span by historical standards, mas-wrestling has crossed not only the borders of its native territory and become a nationwide sport, but has also reached far across the ocean. Bold, determined mas-wrestling enthusiasts have flown from country to country, introducing the sport to more and more people around the world, sowing the seeds of sports friendship and nurturing them with their attention and care. And the harvest was not long in coming, for those seeds fell on fertile ground. Mas-wrestling has left no one indifferent and has won the hearts of many in different parts of the planet. The proof of that will be the gathering in Yakutsk. 

At the beginning of December, athletes from all over the world will arrive in the northern land. National teams from Australia and Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America are eagerly awaiting invitations to the official celebrations. All continents are ready to express their gratitude to the Sakha people for their generous gift to the world — a new sport that today unites 65 countries. And we are confident that this number will only continue to grow, because our mas-wrestling is a democratic sport and accessible to all social groups. But our greatest asset is our vast circle of devoted friends, who are ready to keep moving forward hand in hand with us toward a shared goal — Olympic heights. 

The championship in Calgary concluded with the Yakut unifying circle dance, the osuokhai. All matches, as well as the opening and awards ceremonies, were filmed by a three-camera crew from a student film studio in Edmonton. 

The U.S. national team, led by Eric Waverly, arrived in Canada with an expanded roster and a special mindset, thoroughly prepared, and ultimately took first place in the unofficial team standings, winning four gold medals and one silver. 

And so, we present the lineup of the North American Mas-Wrestling Team:

Team leader/ Representative – Bolinger Andrew - Canada

Men:

60 kg – Paquette Jeremy - Canada

70 kg – Sekhon Manraj Singh – Canada

80 kg – Mueller Erich - USA

90 kg – Watkins Devon - USA

105 kg - Koop Mitchel James – Canada

125 kg - Stroozas Michael - Canada

125+ kg - Martens Jeffrey Louis – Canada

Women:

70 kg - Hollihan Courtney - Canada - team captain

70+ kg - Newton Evelyn - USA

The International Mas-Wrestling Federation expresses its gratitude to Yakutia Railways Joint Stock Company and the UTUM+ Company for cooperation and support in organizing the North American Open Mas-Wrestling Championship in Calgary.