Ajijic’s waterfront will be transformed into a temporary outdoor sports arena on Sunday, June 15 to house Jalisco’s first Beach Wrestling Tournament and a side-by-side contest in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
The fighting matches will be wrapped into an all-day beach party, running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with musical entertainment, martial arts demos, sporting goods sales exhibits, and refreshment stands. These activities will be situated in the beach area on the west side of the village pier. Admission is free of charge.
Competition is open to practitioners of diverse combat disciplines such as Lucha Libre, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Judo, Jujitsu and MMA. Medals will be awarded for top places in each weight category, with a cash prize for the overall champion. Also up for grabs will be six vouchers for all-expenses-paid trips to the 2014 National Beach Wrestling Tournament in Yucatan.
The competition event is being organized by Chapala’s Comude Sports Commission, the Jalisco Wrestling Association and the Mixed Martial Arts League of Western Mexico.
Comude director Jesús Hernández says that he hopes the event will help stir interest in starting up a beach wrestling training program for local youth. He has already made arrangements with the Jalisco Sports Commission to provide an experienced coach.