Elite lumberjacks from all over the world gathered in Germany for the ninth STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® World Championships. Taking place on the 25th and 26th October 2013, the World Championship organisers expected some 10,000 spectators to fill the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart for the international season finals of the top-class lumber sports series.
Over 100 athletes from more than 20 nations competed for honours with axes and saws in the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Team World Championships on the evening of Friday 25th October, with the Individual Championship fought for in a glittering finale on the Saturday night.
In Friday's team event, a restricted four STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® disciplines are tackled in the Team Event: the Stock Saw, Underhand Chop, Single Buck and Standing Block chop. Each competitor in a team completes just one discipline of the four, passing on to a team mate who takes on the next discipline relay-style. In total more than 20 national teams competed for gold.
In the individual Championship on Saturday, the world's top athletes competed against one another in all six disciplines. Points are earned according to the time achieved to complete each discipline and the person with the most points at the end of the event becomes the Individual World Champion.
The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series is now established as the top class in lumber sports, with the best athletes, the highest spectator numbers and the biggest media presence. As well as being watched live by some 10,000 people the 2012 World Championships in Lillehammer, Norway, were also seen by several million television viewers via media partner, Eurosport. The World Championships are also shown by a number of other TV stations around the world.