HUMAN PYRAMID COMPETITION IN SPAIN IS BACK AFTER PANDEMIC

Mon 03 October 2022:

For the first time since the pandemic, the Spanish city of Tarragona has held its famous human pyramid competition, with teams trying to build towers of up to 10 levels for the title of best “castells.”

The popular event normally takes place every two years in the Mediterranean city’s former bull fighting arena.

The team from Vilafranca beat 40 other groups to take the top spot and win $15,679

Their tower reached 10 tiers high, around 43 feet

Spain’s human pyramid competition returns after pandemic

For the first time since the pandemic, the Spanish city of #Tarragona has held its famous human pyramid competition, with teams trying to build towers of up to 10 levels for the title of best “castells.” pic.twitter.com/Z1HOfC9fOL

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) October 3, 2022

This year’s winners were the athletes from Vilafranca, a city famous for its human pyramids, the Diario de Tarragona newspaper reported.

The custom has a long tradition in Catalonia, in north-eastern Spain, where the human towers are part of many town fairs. It has also been awarded intangible cultural heritage status by UNESCO.

While the towers sometimes collapse, participants rarely get injured. Over its 200-year history, the custom only saw a total of five dead, according to Spanish media reports.

Organizers said 71 people received medical attention after some of the towers crumbled

A large share of training is dedicated to avoiding the human pyramid from tumbling down and those at the base are also trained to catch others.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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