‘So many light signals and trams, I’m not used to that’

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It’s Sunday morning at 8 o’clock, the thermometer reads a cool 9 degrees, it’s raining lightly. Nothing on Zurich main station indicates that Zurich cantonal is only three S-Bahn stations away – the wrestlers come to town. Busy tourists with huge suitcases and relaxed groups of hikers are out and about at the HB. No trace of alpine farmers.

Only at the Saalsporthalle stop does the attentive spectator notice the unmistakable light blue of the Edelweiss shirts here and there. Arriving at the fairground at the Allmend Brunau, the experienced struggling festival-goer feels more at ease. The smell of sausage and Kafi Lutz hangs in the air. Leggings and hiking boots replace skinny jeans and white sneakers.

A mix of city and countryside wouldn’t be that crazy. At least from a historical perspective. Christian Koller, who studies the history of sports in Switzerland at the University of Zurich, says: “Modern wrestling also has urban precursors. For example, the academic gymnastics movement in the 19th century was a major influence.” The founding locations of the National Wrestling Association are the cities of Bern and Zurich.

Curious city dwellers

In any case, the wrestling found its way back to town this Sunday. At half past eight in the morning, the Allmend Brunau is already busy as a beehive. The first hungry bellies are filled with sausages and Kafi with Güx, while the strong men line up in the five sawdust rings to wave. It’s business as usual with one exception.

While time-honored wrestling festivals such as Brünig and Rigi keep spectators in their seats from early morning until after the final course, Zurich’s wrestling fans take it a bit more relaxed. The grandstand is gradually filling up. Among the many experienced wrestling festival visitors you will also meet newcomers to the canton of Zurich. A young family from the neighborhood spontaneously buys tickets after being awakened by alphorns in the morning and getting curious.

The battle for attention

Alex Kleinberger (45), active wrestler in Zurich’s Schwingklub and full-time filmmaker, hardly has time to watch the sporting events. He has only been swinging for ten years and yet he is passionate about this sport. “This is about honesty, camaraderie, level-headedness. You don’t find that in the football club’, says the family man, who played football for a long time. He would like more townspeople to discover wrestling.

In Zurich, however, that is easier said than done. “If the cantonal took place in the countryside, we would simply have put up an advertising poster on every country road. In the city of Zurich we are one of hundreds of events. Visible advertising here would be far too expensive.”

Vegetarians are also welcome

Meanwhile, hundreds of cervelates and bratwurst sizzle merrily at the food stands. The kitchen tent is occupied. During the lunch break, almost a thousand hungry mouths have to be fed at the banquet in a very short time. A sliced ​​meat is stewing in the pans of gastro chef Stephan Schaub, together with spaetzli and vegetables.

And where is the meatless option? After all, Zurich is referred to as the vegan capital of Switzerland in some circles. «As an alternative, we offer a vegetable cut meat, which is vegan. It will probably be difficult with the egg spaetzli. But vegetables could be served with it.” However, the demand for a vegan menu is also very low at the Schwingfest in the city of Zurich. “Of the thousand pre-orders for the banquet, only three portions are vegetarian,” says the gastro manager It doesn’t matter if the Schwingfest takes place in Zurich or in the Bernese Oberland – the food is the same everywhere.

Swinging is swinging

Wrestling in the city is not a cause for excitement even for the wrestlers themselves, sawdust is sawdust. However, the journey was not easy, says Thurgau Domenic Schneider (28) at Tele Züri: “It was special to drive through the big city as a country bumpkin. We struggled a bit. I’m not used to so many light signals and trams. Here at the festival site, everything is the same as always.”

Everything as always – this is how it looks with the sponsors. Banks, tobacco companies, insurance companies. The increasing presence of sponsors is not appreciated everywhere. But is the fear justified that this traditional sport will fall prey to money? Hardly, says sports historian Koller. The total commercialization of wrestling, as in football, is not a realistic scenario. “When it comes to wrestling, there’s still one ammunition for the best and not a million. If someone has what it takes, he becomes the king of wrestling and makes promotional deals. That’s all there is. If he were a footballer, he would earn millions abroad.” And that is and remains an impossibility in the national wrestling sport, whether in the city or in the country.

Source : Blick