With Fefor Power Week on the rise, watch for a strength extravaganza in 2010, IHGF president Francis Brebner told IronMind


2020 Fefor Power Week: Strength Extravaganza Supreme
by Francis Brebner
President, International Highland Games Federation (IHGF)

After the great success of this year’s Fefor Power Week, coordinated by IHGF Norwegian representative Kikki Berli-Johnsen, the 2020 Power Week Strength extravaganza is building to be a colossal event. Adding several IHGF sanctioned championship contests, it will take place 18–26 July 2020 at the magnificent setting of the Fefor Hotel in Vinstra, Norway, overlooking Loch Fefor with the backdrop of Mount Fefor, and surrounded by breathtaking, scenic views.

One of the newly sanctioned contests by the IHGF is the introduction of the IHGF Olympia Highland Games Championships. From an historical viewpoint, the birth of Highland games has an incredible history that precedes the ancient Olympics, and its origins can be traced back to 1500 BC to the Tailteann Games in Ireland, where one of the first recorded throwing events was a chariot wheel for distance. Historians write that the Irish then made their way across to Scotland where similar sports events began to grow throughout the region.

Later, Highland games was a major influence on the creation of the modern-day Olympic Games. At the 1889 world’s fair, the Exposition Universelle, in Paris, France, a French man by the name of Baron De Coubertin watched the Highland games being contested, from shot putting, to throwing hammers and weights. Thus inspired, he got the idea of the modern-day Olympic Games, the first of which took place in Athens, Greece in 1896 and consisted of six track and field events, one of which included the shot put taken from the Highland games. In 1900, hammer throwing was included and from 1904–1920, throwing the 56-lb. weight for distance as well. Thus, several Olympic events were taken from traditional Highland games even though Highland games itself is not officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IHGF is pleased to sanction and promote the inaugural IHGF Olympia Highland Games Championships. As the only recognized international governing body of Highland games with more than 20 affiliated countries that adhere to its rules and regulations, the IHGF along with its affiliated countries are encouraging young generations of amateur athletes in the sport of Highland games by means of amateur national and world championships taking place around the globe. The IHGF Olympia Highland Games Championships, planned for 2020, will be open to all countries and will be contested thereafter every four years hosted by different countries.

The 2020 IHGF Olympia Highland games Championships will consist of amateur athletes in A, B and C groups, men’s and women’s lightweight classes, and men’s and women’s masters’ groups 40s, 50s, and upwards. Athletes interested in competing in the IHGF Olympia Highland Games Championships and any of the open strength events should contact Kikki Berli-Johnsen, the IHGF representative in Norway for the 2020 Fefor Power Week, directly on the Fefor Power Week Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2649665135093406/

Other major competitions that will be taking place at 2020 Fefor Power Week include the IHGF Stones of Strength World Challenge for both men and woman, where ten pro athletes in each class will go head to head in five stonelifting disciplines, including overhead stone press, stone putt, stone carry, stone medley and Atlas stones.

Also, the IHGF Amateur World Highland Games Championships will be contested over the eight traditional throwing events: 10 athletes from 10 different countries will compete for this coveted world title.

The Norwegian International Strongman Invitational will be a highlight contest of several strength events that will push athletes to the max of their overall strength and endurance.

The IHGF Record Breakers will be a series of open competitions in the Viking Stones of Strength Challenge: the heaviest single Atlas stone lifted, overhead stone press, Fefor stone carry for distance, and a first to be held for men and woman, the Viking stones of strength carry, featuring a set of stones for women with a combined weight of just over 500 lb. and for men, just over 700 lb., that will be carried for max distance barehanded.

Other IHGF competitions taking place during Fefor Power Week will include the men’s and women’s Open Amateur Stones of Strength World Challenge, where any strength athlete from around the world can compete over four stonelifting disciplines. There will be a limit of 8 athletes for each of the men’s and women’s open challenges.

Fefor Power Week is proud to include two major IHGF sanctioned events for adaptive athletes: the IHGF Adaptive Stones of Strength World Challenge and the IHGF Adaptive Olympia World Highland Games Championships.

It is with delight to also announce the popular Viking MAS wrestling international tournament and also the Open Fefor Armlifting grip strength contest (Rolling Thunder and CoC Silver Bullet Hold) which will be officiated and judged by strength legend Odd Haugen, president of MAS Wrestling USA, chairman of the board of Armlifting USA, and vice president of the International MAS Wrestling Federation–North America

Seminars and coaching clinics will be held throughout the week in Highland games and strongman, along with seminars by S10 Fitness; and sessions on nutrition by Terri Ventress, former women’s masters’ Highland games world champion.

Join us at the 2020 Fefor Power Week!—it will be a strength experience of a lifetime. Contact Kikki Berli-Johnsen on the Fefor Power Week Facebook page.

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