By Anna Ringstrom
Reuters
SAVONLINNA, Finland (Aug. 28) - Anyone wanting to throw
away their mobile phone can do it in style and may even win a medal -- at the
Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship, Finland's latest contribution to
offbeat athleticism.
Originally a local event in this small town close
to the Russian border, the seventh annual contest Saturday drew some 100
throwers from as far afield as Canada, Russia and Belgium.
Founder
Christine Lund describes the event as a good source of light exercise with an
environmentally friendly twist. "There are a lot of mobile phones on the
second-hand market, and we are recycling them (before they become toxic waste),"
she said.
The inventive Finns had already given the world the Sauna
World Championships and the Wife Carrying Competition before coming up with a
new way to make mobile phones even more mobile.
This year's gold medal
went to Finland's Lassi Etelatalo, who flung a scrapped Nokia unit a forceful
292 feet. "I prepared by javelin throwing, I haven't really practiced throwing
mobile phones," Etelatalo told Reuters.
In the freestyle event, Dutchman
Elie Rugthoven's phone landed outside the designated area, but he still won
silver thanks to a phone juggling performance that impressed the judges.
Lund says competitors all have their favorite throwing brand. "People
choose by size, by color or by how it fits in the hand ... Some believe a heavy
model will ensure a long throw, some want a light one."
