Every year, the Finnish town of Savonlinna hosts a fun and relaxing
phone-throwing contest where participants are invited to take out all
their frustration on their handhelds by throwing them as far as
possible. This year, a Finnish teenager managed to set a new world
record, with a throw of over 101 meters. Ever since 2000, when it was first organized, the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship
has become an international event drawing in participants from all over
the world. According to reports of Finnish insurance companies, there
are lots of phones laying on the bottom of Finland’s lakes, causing a
serious environmental problem due to the toxicity of their batteries. In
an attempt to convince people there are better ways of getting rid of
their faulty mobile devices, a Savonlinna-based translation and
interpretation company called Fennolingua organized a mobile-throwing
contest that immediately drew the attention of media all around the
world. In the following years, the event became even more popular
gathering throwers from every continent eager to show their hurling
skills.
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| Photo: Christine Lund |
On the official site of the competition, Mobile
Phone Throwing is labeled as ”the only sport where you can pay back
all the frustrations and disappointments caused by these modern
equipments”. Yet, competitors are not allowed to use their own
cell-phones. Although many users have asked to throw their own handhelds
as payback for their weak batteries or frequent signal drops, all
contestants have to throw phones provided by Fennolingua. On the upside,
the approved gadgets include all kinds of brands and models, with
weights varying from 220 grams to over 400 grams, allowing competitors
to choose the one that best suits their throwing style. The fun
competition is made up of three categories: over the shoulder, where
contestants try to hurl the mobile phones as far as possible, freestyle,
where throwers are judged on aesthetics and creativity, and under 12,
where kids can show their phone-throwing skills.
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| Photo: Christine Lund |
This year the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship took place on
August 18. Finnish teen Ere Karjalainen, who said he drank the night
before in preparation for the event, set a new mobile phone throwing
record, with a distance of 101.46 meters, whilst in the women’s
competition, a hammer-throwing athlete hurled the phone 42.47 meters.
After the contest ended, all phones were gathered and sent to a
recycling plant, thus staying true to the competition’s official
description – a sport that combines recycling philosophy and fun.
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