The Philippines recently hosted the 41st edition of the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition from April 28 to May 6, with the country’s various top historic destinations serving as its backdrop.
Former Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo is optimistic that the recently hosted international sports event is a good promotion for the Philippines. “We will be able to showcase to the world our tourist destination, as well as to showcase that the Philippines is ready to host international sports events,” she said.
According to Undersecretary of Tourism Advocacy and Public Affairs Kat de Castro, the Department of Tourism (DOT) coordinated with IMG, organizer of WSM, to bring in the world famous sports event to the country.
She said, “Not only will we be concentrating in Manila but the production crew went all over the country so they can see different places in the Philippines.”
De Castro added that the organizers want to feature destinations with historical background, and the DOT gave a list near Manila for the athletes and the crew to visit.
The WSM crew has gone to historic destinations like Intramuros, Rizal Park, Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar in Bataan and in Corregidor Island.
Shots were also filmed in Tagaytay City, Davao City and in Coron, Palawan. Eddie Hall, the current titleholder of WSM, also went with the crew.
She said this is a groundbreaking hosting for the DOT as it will prove the country’s capabilities of hosting international sports events while promoting destinations.
Past WSM editions were filmed in Botswana, Malaysia, China and South America.
A showcase of strength
Over 30 athletes from Great Britain, Lithuania, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Russia, Iran and Poland showed off their lifting skills and stamina in the series of events around Manila.
The athletes include four-time champion Brian Shaw of the United States, as well as Lithuania’s Zydrunas Savickas. Game of Thrones’s star Thor Bjornsson from Iceland, who plays as Gregor Clegane of The Mountain, was also a crowd favorite in the qualifying games.
Bjornsson aims to clinch the world title after bagging the second place in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Bjornsson is also regarded as Europe’s Strongest Man.
Dealing with PHL heat
Filming during the summer time, athletes knew that competing in a tropical location is a huge deal.
Shaw said that they had to adjust to the country’s heat for the games by staying hydrated and prepared. He compared the weather from WSM’s past filming locations like China and Malaysia and he thinks that the Philippines’s heat is far different.
He said, “The conditions played a big, big role in the competition, that’s for sure. Certainly, it’s obvious how big we are and we’re gonna be competing with the heat. A lot of us are not from climates anywhere close to this. So heat’s a big, big factor.”
On April 28 the 30-strong competitors were welcomed in Manila for its first qualifying days at Rizal Park. Participants braved the scorching heat of the sun as they lifted 300-kilogram tricycles. On the second day, the athletes wowed the crowd in the Philippine International Convention Center grounds for the Squat Lift and Deadlift challenge, where they had to carry up to 850 pounds. WSM also had events in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
The qualifying and final rounds were composed of lifting logs, pulling jeepneys, tricycles, double-decker buses and carrying metal kegs.
The 41st edition of World Strongest Man will air in December.