Honda sports stars’ Christmas tournament 2015: winners
The 11th Honda sports stars’ Christmas tournament has concluded. Estonia’s top athletes from different sports went head-to-head at Pärnu Sports Hall on 25 December 2015, with footballers Raio Piiroja and Joel Lindpere claiming the overall win. In this recap, we look at who won, how the Christmas tournament unfolded and why this Christmas evening event has captivated Pärnu audiences for years.
What is the sports stars’ Christmas tournament?
The Honda sports stars’ Christmas tournament is one of Estonia’s most distinctive sporting events, bringing together elite athletes from different disciplines for playful, often downright bizarre contests. The idea is simple: put a footballer and a rower, a basketball player and a single-seater racing driver under one roof, then challenge them to compete in events they do not practice every day. The outcome is always unpredictable, and the evening feels more like a community celebration than an elite sporting contest.
Admission was free, and a large crowd gathered at Pärnu Sports Hall. Ott Kiivikas hosted the evening, with a guest performance by 2015 world fitness champion Oleg Anissimov. This blend of big names from different sports, local humor and festive spirit has given the event its distinctive identity over ten years. Pärnu families fill the hall on Christmas Day as though attending a traditional church service — except that a rowing machine replaces the altar, and the hall smells more of gym mats than incense.
Honda Christmas tournament 2015: winners
Footballers Raio Piiroja and Joel Lindpere lifted this year’s trophy. The Estonia senior internationals showed that all-round fitness and teamwork pay off even when the events involve stacking crates and rowing on an ergometer rather than kicking a ball.
Basketball players Kiur Akenpärg and Rannar Raap took silver after a closely fought contest with the footballers that brought them within touching distance of first place. Swimmers Martti Aljand and Pjotr Degtjarjov pushed for bronze — the physical conditioning that helps them dominate in the water also served them well on dry land. All three pairs greeted the awards ceremony with cheerful grins: the competitive tension owed more to the satisfaction of a good sporting performance than a hunger for trophies.
How the Christmas tournament unfolded
The lineup was impressive. Tõnu Endrekson and Jüri Jaanson represented rowing, Gert Krestinov and Priit Rätsep represented motocross, and Kaarel Nurmsalu and Alik Tseiko entered as the dark horses. Raigo Kuusnõmm and Margus Silbaum tested their strength as representatives of strength sports, while Ralf Aron and Martin Rump came from the world of single-seater racing. Alongside Piiroja, Martin Vunk also represented football.
One of the evening’s most eagerly awaited moments was the match of the century on rowing ergometers: Tõnu Endrekson and Allar Raja faced the pairing of discus thrower Gerd Kanter and strongman Märt Israel. Direct contests like these between athletes from different sports are rare, and they make the tournament more than just a series of sporting games played for laughs. The central question is always whether an endurance athlete’s technique or a strongman’s brute strength will win out over two hundred meters on the ergometer.
Competition events
- Pärnu shuttle run
- Wendre crate stacking
- Port Artur rowing ergometer
- KU Mell model car racing
- Saku alcohol-free beer crate hold
- Valvoline dead hang
Each event tested the athletes in a slightly different way. Crate stacking required speed and strength endurance, the beer crate hold demanded sheer willpower and patience, and the dead hang combined grip strength with core muscle work. Model car racing proved that putting a controller in an elite athlete’s hands does not guarantee a straight course — that event produced a couple of the highlights. Excitement in the hall ran so high that spectators often cheered not just for their favorites, but for whichever pair had just stumbled in the most unexpected way.
You can find more extensive coverage of the tournament on the event’s Facebook page, including photos, videos and the final results. See more on Facebook.
Christmas tournament FAQ
Where and when was the 11th Honda sports stars’ Christmas tournament held?
The event took place on 25 December 2015 at Pärnu Sports Hall, starting at 13.00. Admission was free, and everyone was welcome.
Who won the 2015 tournament?
Footballers Raio Piiroja and Joel Lindpere took first place. Second place went to basketball players Kiur Akenpärg and Rannar Raap, and third to swimmers Martti Aljand and Pjotr Degtjarjov.
Who hosted the evening?
Ott Kiivikas hosted the evening, and 2015 world fitness champion Oleg Anissimov took to the stage for a guest performance.
Author: Honda sports stars’ Christmas tournament on Delfi
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