CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tickets are still available to see nearly 400 ‘strongmen’ and ‘strongwomen’ athletes across 35 countries compete in Charleston this weekend for the 2023 SBD Official Strongman Games.
The three-day event will bring the athletes head-to-head in a series of six intense tests of strength at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center starting Friday, Dec. 1 until Sunday, Dec. 3.
OSG Event Director Lynn Morehouse said this competition is part of the path for heavyweight men to reach the title of the ‘World’s Strongest Man’ seen on TV. Along with that, he said it’s a rivalry for strongmen and strongwomen involved in every weight class, age group, and division other than the heavyweight men.
“For everyone else in the world, for women 140 pounds or less, to women ages 50 and over, men ages 50 and over, men as light as 175 pounds, this is their world’s strongest title,” said Morehouse.
He said the succession of competitors will be cut down to a total of just the top 10 per class the final day of the event to determine those titles.
Morehouse said local Charleston resident Philip Pfister came back to the city in 2008 for a competition following his win of the title of World’s Strongest Man in 2006. He said this event is generating the same excitement as Phister’s 2008 visit.
“Everyone’s excited, it’s amazing how many people remember 2008, and if you liked 2008 where you had 30 of the heaviest strong men in the world come down to a top 10, you’ll love where you have 400 athletes come down to a top 10 per division,” he said.
He said various other previous world’s strongest men and women are also expected to be in attendance at this weekend’s competition.
Morehouse said this is the first time OSG has come to the state after starting in 2017 and quickly growing into the world’s largest international strongman and strongwoman competition.
He said the Strongman Games were created to fill a need for more inclusivity in the industry.
“World’s Strongest Man has always been just the heavyweight men, but the sport of strongman exists at an amateur level worldwide, as well as at a professional level for weight classes and women,” Morehouse said.
Morehouse said tickets to the event are still available online at Ticketmaster, and they will be available for purchase at the gate the starting day of the competition. He said VIP tickets are also still available which will give fans the opportunity to meet the world’s current Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper, in addition to meet and greets with other strong men and women.
Kids 12 and under get into the competition for free.