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The town square in Mungia in northern Spain was packed with
spectators to cheer on the female competitors, who are still a
relatively unusual sight in the events.
Basque sports - Herri-Korolak in the Basque language - showcase
displays of strength and stamina associated with the heavy
manual labour traditionally associated with rural life in the
Basque Country, a region of northern Spain that borders France.
"Herri-Kirolak originate with the work of the farmhouse. In the
farmhouse, men, women, girls, boys, grandfathers and
grandmothers all worked. It didn't matter about age or gender.
But in competitions it was always men," said reigning
stone-lifting champion Karmele Gisasola, whose father was a
stone lifter.
"My grandmother, although she lifted stones at home, never had
the opportunity to compete. Things have been more difficult for
us, without role-models, but now we have championships and we
are progressing."
The 18 categories of traditional Basque sports take inspiration
from the region's rocky terrain and farming traditions. They
include stone lifting and dragging, wood chopping and sawing,
scything and running with milk pails.
Competitors said they had been encouraged by people's response
to the growing presence of women in the sport. "I'm starting out
now and people are really encouraging and pushing us forward,"
said runner-up Lucia Orbe.
Orbe's trainer, former stone lifting champion Felix Campos
Lumbreras, was optimistic about the future. "The girls are just
starting. But I don’t care if it is boys or girls, the main
thing is to keep things progressing".
(Writing by Vincent West and Jessica Jones; Editing by Angus
MacSwan)
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