Concours de la femme et de l'homme le plus fort du Morvan

Our competition for the strongest man in the Morvan began in 1997 in Etang sur Arroux. It started with a group of village football club officials who wanted to measure their strength by lifting sandbags.

So the competition was created and on 8 June 1997, the first edition of the Morvan Strongest Man took place. The participants, mainly farmers from the region and football players from the club, competed in pairs, with almost 400 spectators turning out to watch them at the municipal stadium.

Following this success, the organisers decided to pursue the idea of this strength contest, but on an individual basis to determine the Morvan strongman. From 2006, at the request of women, a competition to determine the strongest woman in Morvan was organised alongside the men.

Over the years, the number of spectators has grown, reaching an average of 1,100 around 2010. In 2014, a milestone was reached with the increase in participants thanks to social networks. At the same time, the 1500 spectator mark was passed.

From 2018 onwards, our competition has enjoyed growing success and is increasingly recognised throughout the Burgundy region and at national level. This recognition of our competition has led to a report on the TV programme "Quotidien", the presence each year of France 3 Bourgogne Franche Comté, the regional press (the Journal de Saône et Loire, the Journal du Centre, the Bien Public, Autun and Creusot Infos), and a number of written and visual reports by the newspaper "Le Monde" and Sparse.

Despite the covid and 2 years without a competition, the climax was reached at the last women's and men's editions in 2023, with 2000 people coming to encourage the candidates for a whole afternoon.

In 2024, we were honoured to be invited to appear on the "Vous êtes formidables" programme on France 3 Bourgogne.

In spite of a rainy year, the public is always present in large numbers, with more than 1,600 people coming to see our high-level competition. The values of our competition. The desire to surpass oneself, good humour and respect between the candidates.

For the winner, there's nothing to win, just a different trophy each year and front-page headlines in the print and broadcast media. Since 2022, Quentin Battistella, who lives in Mesvres and works as an artist in his spare time, has been making trophies for the winners of the competition for the strongest woman and the strongest man in Morvan. These creations, made from recycled metal objects, are gaining increasing recognition in the region. As has been the custom for several years, the trophies are new every year. This year, 2025, will be no exception to the rule, and Quentin will be creating yet another magnificent trophy. We'll keep you posted on the progress of the 2025 trophies. They will of course be heavy and will represent two games from the 2024 competition.

In 2024, Guillaume Gastalle, staff member and competition referee, created a trophy that would be awarded to the last woman in the Morvan strongest woman competition. For 2025, Guillaume will be making a trophy for each category, men and women, to reward the courage it takes for these candidates to finish our competition.

We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with La Ferme du Strong, run by our friends Marine Servant and Mathieu Beauvois, for our contest for the strongest woman and the strongest man in the Morvan on Sunday 8 June 2025 in Etang sur Arroux.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What would our competition be without all our volunteers from Sporting Club Etangois? Well, it wouldn't be as famous as it is.

A HUGE tribute to them, whose unfailing motivation, before, during and after the competition, has made it possible for us to enjoy the success we have for so many years.

The positive feedback we get from spectators and contestants is a driving force behind our efforts to continue welcoming contestants and the public in the best possible conditions every year.

Thank you, everyone!

Show less