Bangalore men to flex their muscles

bangalore: move over stallone. time's up schwarzenegger. now the bangalore boys will show off those biceps. come august and the city will play host to an arm-wrestling championship. and from the look of things, bangalore's brawn masters are all ready for the show. over 500 bicep babas have already let it be known that they are in the business. others, more used to thinking with their heads, are still making up their minds.to be organised by event managers dream merchants, the championships called mister armstrong, will be held in accordance with rules set by the arm wrestling world federation. in fact, kolkata's barij baran das, one of the co-founders of the federation, will be in bangalore soon to ensure that the nitty-gritty are all taken care of. says dream merchants' feroz khan, ``this year mister armstrong will be a bangalore-only event. next year we go national. it's just that we want to ensure that we get things right since it's the first time.'' the championship has been uniquely formatted. the participants will be divided into three weight categories. a heavyweight armband for those 91 kg and above, middleweight tags for those between 60 and 91 kg, while those below 60 kg will be classified as lightweights. open to all age groups (those below 18 need the nod from mama-papa), mister armstrong's knockout rounds will take off on august 20. ``participants will be divided into four groups in each category as they fight it out amongst themselves to select the 32 strongest men in each category over four days of arm duels,'' explains khan. d-day, or should that be a-day, will be august 25. by the end of the day will be crowned mister armstrong. the day will also feature other amazing feats by men with other strengths such as fire eaters and jugglers. the event will unfold at the st. joseph's boys' high school grounds (next to webbs garage). ``the registrations have already begun. we started by informing all the leading gyms in the city. but it is not necessary that one be a hulk to try out arm wrestling,'' says khan. so all those waiting for an opportunity to flex your muscles this could be your chance. it will truly be a day out for bangalore's best biceps. contact feroz khan, 38, 3rd cross, victoria layout. telefax: 5512319.