AP PHOTOS: Bloody fingers are just part of the game in this traditional German sport

Monday 28 April 2025 05:22 BST

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Men in short leather pants and embroidered suspenders risked dislocated digits as they vied for the top prize at Germany’s championship in the sport of fingerhakeln or finger wrestling.

Around 180 competitors took part in Sunday’s 64th German championship in Pang, which is about an hour’s drive southwest of Munich.

It’s thought that finger wrestling, popular in Germany’s Alpine region and neighboring Austria, originated as a way to settle disputes. The earliest depictions of the sport date to the 19th century. Participants wore the traditional Bavarian dress known as tracht.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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AP PHOTOS: Bloody fingers are just part of the game in this traditional German sport

AP PHOTOS: Bloody fingers are just part of the game in this traditional German sport

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