Citing Russia's impressive legacy in strength sports and the tremendous public support for strongman in Russia, IFSA CEO Jussi Laurimaa welcomed increased Russian participation "in the world strongman community" as IFSA's Board of Directors announced a series of agreements with the Russian strongman federation today.

In addition to stating that "the FSA of Russia will be the only IFSA-sanctioned Strongman federation in Russia," IFSA Strongman also presented details on the forthcoming 2005 IFSA Strongman European Championships, which will be held June 4-5 in Moscow and will have a prize list of US$100,000. Additional IFSA/FSA contests are planned "for major Russian cities . . . throughout April and May."

Further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.