Promoting traditional wrestling as a medium of cultural tourism and local development

Background Project TRAWECU addresses the gap between the important European cultural heritage of traditional wrestling and its simultaneous diminishing of appeal to the local audiences. The project uses the heritage of wrestling as a vehicle to firstly attract a new audience to traditional wrestling, while also showcasing that this heritage can be used for the development of the respective local communities through the increase of cultural tourism. Objectives TRAWECU’s main objective is to introduce traditional wrestling to a wider audience and incorporate it with local development and cultural tourism. Its sub-targets are the creation of strong networks between the cooperating partners, raising awareness among athletes and the general public on the importance of traditional wresting and its contribution to social and cultural heritage, and last but not least showcasing its possibility to contribute to the local touristic development. Implementation TRAWECU’s implementation involved strong cooperation between all the partners of the consortium and the creation of an unofficial network of exchange of know-how, good practices and future planning. The project activities involved the implementation of four transnational meetings which included the organisation of international conferences, promotion through media, discussions and networking with stakeholders and development and publication of promotional, educational content. Achievements TRAWECU’s results include a higher representation of traditional wrestling in the media of the involved countries, a higher awareness among the stakeholders for its cultural importance, the creation of a strong partnership between project consortium which is already translating to other cooperation, and the consideration of traditional wrestling as an important element of the cultural identity of the places where it is exercised, with a high potential for the attraction of cultural tourism.