The Great Finnish Mobile Phone Throw

Teenager Sets New World Record at Mobile-Phone Throwing Contest

August 20th, 2012 

Every year, the Finnish town of Savonlinna hosts a fun and relaxing phone-throwing contest where participants are invited to take out all their frustration on their handhelds by throwing them as far as possible. This year, a Finnish teenager managed to set a new world record, with a throw of over 101 meters.
Ever since 2000, when it was first organized, the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship has become an international event drawing in participants from all over the world. According to reports of Finnish insurance companies, there are lots of phones laying on the bottom of Finland’s lakes, causing a serious environmental problem due to the toxicity of their batteries. In an attempt to convince people there are better ways of getting rid of their faulty mobile devices, a Savonlinna-based translation and interpretation company called Fennolingua organized a mobile-throwing contest that immediately drew the attention of media all around the world. In the following years, the event became even more popular gathering throwers from every continent eager to show their hurling skills.

Photo: Christine Lund

On the official site of the competition, Mobile Phone Throwing is labeled as  ”the only sport where  you can pay back all the frustrations and  disappointments caused by these modern equipments”. Yet, competitors are not allowed to use their own cell-phones. Although many users have asked to throw their own handhelds as payback for their weak batteries or frequent signal drops, all contestants have to throw phones provided by Fennolingua. On the upside, the approved gadgets include all kinds of brands and models, with weights varying from 220 grams to over 400 grams, allowing competitors to choose the one that best suits their throwing style. The fun competition is made up of three categories: over the shoulder, where contestants try to hurl the mobile phones as far as possible, freestyle, where throwers are judged on aesthetics and creativity, and under 12, where kids can show their phone-throwing skills.

Photo: Christine Lund 

This year the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship took place on August 18. Finnish teen Ere Karjalainen, who said he drank the night before in preparation for the event, set a new mobile phone throwing record, with a distance of 101.46 meters, whilst in the women’s competition, a hammer-throwing athlete hurled the phone 42.47 meters. After the contest ended, all phones were gathered and sent to a recycling plant, thus staying true to the competition’s official description – a sport that combines recycling philosophy and fun.