The story of the "tickle wrestler" of Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - As a sports collaborator of Xuan Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tan (1952) is also affectionately called "Mr. Wrestling" by the people around him. Because he is one of the people who preserve and spread the flame of wrestling - a folk game of Nghe An.

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Mr. Nguyen Trong Tan catches the ball in a wrestling match at Bach Ma Temple festival. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Agile, healthy, and cheerful are what people can feel when they first meet the “wrestler” of Xuan Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An. It is not difficult to feel his passion and love for sports, especially the traditional game of wrestling.

Mr. Tan said that wrestling is a unique folk game of Thanh Chuong district. Every year, on festivals and New Year's Day, people in Thanh Chuong villages enthusiastically organize wrestling games. Later, when Bach Ma temple festival was restored (in 2001), he and the district cultural officers proposed to include wrestling games in the festival activities and were quickly approved. Since then, wrestling games have become an indispensable cultural feature of Bach Ma temple festival.

Although he was a mechanical worker, his passion for sports always burned within him. When he was young, he was one of the "athletes" of Xuan Tuong commune. He was never absent from wrestling competitions between villages, communes or football matches...

In 1980, when he retired, Mr. Tan was elected as the commune's sports collaborator, from which he actively organized and participated in community activities. Mr. Tan joked, "If I don't have the health to run with the village boys, I will be a referee, supervising and cheering up the matches. Running with the young people also makes me feel younger and healthier."

To choose a few suitable banana trees to make the ball, Mr. Tan spent a lot of effort. Photo: Thanh Cuong

As a folk game passed down from our ancestors, there are no specific rules. Regarding the rules of the wrestling game, Mr. Tan followed the old rules of the folk but made some changes. For example, in the past, the goalposts at both ends of the field used to be baskets but were later changed to a 50x50cm deep hole or each match lasted about 15 minutes. No longer strong enough to compete like the village youths, Mr. Tan stepped back to act as a referee to fuel each competition.

Mr. Tan shared that to run a wrestling match to make it exciting, dramatic, and attractive, there must be a special trick, not everyone can do it. Perhaps that is why, from wrestling matches in villages and communes to wrestling competitions at Bach Ma temple festival, he is always trusted by everyone to be the "whistleblower" for each match.

Not only being a referee, before each wrestling match, Mr. Tan also takes on the task of preparing the "ball", a job that takes a lot of time. "The ball must be made from old, round banana roots so that they do not break and have a certain smoothness. Sometimes it takes a whole morning, going around the village to choose a few satisfactory banana roots to bring back and carefully carve, and the banana roots must be carved so that they are really round," said Mr. Tan.

Usually, he will make up to 3 top balls, each about 30 cm in diameter and weighing 5-7 kg, in case the ball breaks.

Certificate of merit from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded to Mr. Tan in 2010. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In recognition of his contributions, in 2010, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded him the Medal for the Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Sharing with us, Mr. Tan said that as long as he is healthy, he will continue his work to preserve and maintain the unique cultural features of the wrestling game in Nghe An./.

Chu Thanh - Thanh Cuong