‘World Cup’ of grave digging holds in Hungary

Every year, grave diggers from around the world gather in Hungary to compete in the International Grave Digging Championship akin to the football World Cup where contestants compete for honours, regarding who can dig the deepest and most beautiful graves.

In the Hungarian city of Sexard, not only an unusual, but also an interesting and noteworthy competition was organised this year—the 18th International Grave Digging Championship.

The Hungary’s Association of Cemetery Operators and Maintainers (MTFE) has been inviting grave diggers from all over the world to the European country to compete for the title of World Grave Digging Champions.

Working in teams of two, grave diggers must put their abilities to the test by digging graves that are at least two metres long, 80 centimetres wide, and 1.6 metres deep within two hours, and then shoveling the approximately 2.5 tonnes of dirt back into the holes to create a neat burial mound. It sounds easy enough, but speed, accuracy, and attention to detail are the main criteria by which contestants are judged.

According to the Daily Telegraph of UK, the eighth International Grave Digging Championship was held on September 6, with participants’ performance graded on a 10-point scale, based on speed, aesthetics and precision. The judges also evaluated the accuracy of the grave’s dimensions before handing out prizes.

At the end of the competition, the Hungarian team won the gold trophy  for the second year in a row, with an enviable time of just over an hour and a half. Russia won the silver and Czech Republic got the bronze. The winners were awarded with gold, silver and bronze trophies in the shape of shovels.

László Kiss and Robert Nagy, who represented Hungary,  credited their success to the routine they developed in their daily work without any special training.

According to the organisers, the goal of the championship is to raise the prestige of the grave digging profession, attract young people to the job, and showcase their skills. Furthermore, they want to use the championship to recognise the hard work of grave diggers, which requires not only physical fitness, but also mental strength.

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