ISAF 2024: The weather didn't affect our mood

The Central Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ISAF) was also exhausting for the organisation committee, headed by Peter Hegglin.

Peter Hegglin, chairman of the ISAF organsation committee (OC) and 'Mitte' party Ständerat (Centre party Council of States councillor) from Edlibach, was satisfied with the event - despite the terrible weather.

Were your expectations met?
Peter Hegglin: Absolutely. The fantastic organisation committee made sure that I always had a good feeling. The concept was right, it was a brilliant event - even if the weather didn't always play along with us.

The bad weather probably cost a lot of visitors, especially on Saturday
Yes, unfortunately. We had created many opportunities to enable people to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful view of the valley. And these were, of course, not used due to the rain. But the tents were full, and it was my impression that the weather didn't affect the mood of those who were there.

OC President Peter Hegglin (left) with the delegation from the previous ISAF       Photo: Jan Pegoraro
An army parachutist delivers the wrestling trousers    Photo: Andreas Busslinger

Did any parked cars get stuck in the wet fields?
Not to my knowledge: the traffic service had the situation well under control. There were long waiting times in one car park, however, because too many people wanted to park at the same time. That was the only negative thing that I heard.

What did you think of the women's and girls' wrestling?
They also wrestle with full commitment and don't hold back at all. There weren’t as many prizes in the ‘Gabentempel’ as for the men, but there were still some nice things.

You also donated prizes. What did the organisers buy with the money?
A beautiful lamp with an illuminated relief for the women competitors. A tablet for the men - a much better one than I have myself!