Kopachiv (Ukraine) (AFP)
Hundreds of warriors in shining armor brandish their swords and axes on a field near a wooden fortress, before embarking on the battle: the Ukrainian village of Kopachiv hosted this week the world championship of medieval combat, the Béhourd.
Twenty-nine teams from Britain, China, France, Germany and Australia gathered for four days in this village, about 100 kilometers from Kiev, to confront each other with replicas. metal and wooden weapons on a sand arena. Some had chosen to fight on horseback, others on foot.
Ukraine, which recognized medieval fighting as an official sport in 2016, is the only country to have done so far.
A village park, which houses replicas of wooden buildings from the time of the "Kiev Rus", a state that existed between the 5th and 8th century, served as a field for this championship, organized for the first time in Ukraine by the International Federation of Medieval Combat.
Last year, Scotland hosted this competition.
This year, the championship gathered more than 1,000 participants, men and women. "The popularity of this sport is growing, the number of competitors too," says Park Director Natalia Koval.
For Christophe Barre, the captain of the French team, it is "a very good sport of combat and friendship with his team-mates, but also with the adversaries".
"We respect the opponent and we will give everything to win by respecting the rules," says the young bearded, who wore armor weighing 20 kilos during the fight.
The Polish warrior Krzysztof Olczak claims to carry even heavier equipment - about 27 kilos. "You have to have good protection," he says.
Most warriors wear helmets and shields, as well as metal armor protecting their arms and legs.
Competitors are not expected to hit body parts that are not protected by armor, ie neck or shoulders.
If a fighter falls to the ground after being hit by his opponent, he automatically leaves the competition.
"We are excited," says Krzysztof Olczak. "We travel around the world, we live this hobby".
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? 2019 AFP