Odd Haugen, USA: Hopefully the virus will be under control and all tournaments will happen as planned!

08.01.2021

The year has already begun and we are starting to make plans despite the ongoing pandemic. It looks like we will have to be patient and continue to take precautions. It is worth it so that we can meet on international platforms. The IMWF Vice President Mr Odd Haugen will be the first to share his plans for this year:

"These are extraordinary times! Many of our tournaments and events have been cancelled or postponed, but as said before, we will all persevere!

We are in the 7th year of mine and USA’s participation in MAS wrestling. In those seven years we have participated in numerous World Cups and World Championships, and we have hosted two Absolute World Championships.

In 2020 we were lucky enough to hold the All-American MAS Wrestling Championship with 50 athletes in Los Angeles and Arnold Classic International Championship with 32 international athletes in Columbus Ohio just ahead of the COVID-19 breakout and the subsequent shutdown.

We were invited to and will host an International Tournament at the Mr. Olympia Sports Festival December 17-20, 2020, but this was not to be, as Sports Festival was cancelled. We have been assured participation in next year’s Mr. Olympia Sports Festival!

We planned a substitute tournament for the Olympia Tournament on the same dates in Newbury Park (Los Angeles Area) California, but this area of California was also shut down for the time being.

We have therefore postponed this event: the 2020 Visegrip Viking Invitational MAS Wrestling Tournament to March, 5-7 2021. We hope to have good international participation barring travel restrictions and think this is a good way of putting a dismal 2020 behind us. Thus, kicking off a GREAT 2021!

We have made contact with Police and Fire Games but will not be able to participate in the 2021 Games as all “near-contact” sports have been eliminated due to COVID-19 concerns. We hope to be one of the sports of the 2022 or 2023 Police and Fire Games. We are also working on blind, hearing-impaired, and other Para Olympic classification to participate in Mas-Wrestling in 2021.

We have the following potential major USA tournaments with international participation in 2021:

- Arnold Classic MAS Wrestling Championship Columbus Ohio June 10th-12th;

- World of Sports Invitational MAS Wrestling Atlanta Georgia June 25th-26th;

- All-American MAS Wrestling Championship Los Angeles California July 9th-11th;

- US National Championship Kendallville Indiana August 14th-15th.

(We know that the same dates, the Absolute World Championship is planned in Calgary. We can move the dates forward or backward depending on the exact date of the World Championship).

- Olympia World International MAS Wrestling Las Vegas Nevada September (?)

Hopefully the virus will be under control and all these tournaments will happen as planned!

Stay safe! Stay strong!"