Glíma Glíma is the national sport of iceland and has been played here since the first settlers came from Norway. Glíma means “Wrestling“ or “Struggle“ but is way different from the American wrestling.
The things that differentiate Glíma from other forms of wrestling are the following:
Players must wear a specific Wrestling-Belt (Glímubelti):
Glímubelti - A strap around the waist and both the legs.
The belt must be held in a specific way in specific places.
Also: One must never put ones thumb between the belt -
if one does so, one can beak one's thumb.
- Players must always stand erect
- Its not permitted to force your opponent to the floor – one must bring him down with one of the allowed stratagems
Two young girls compete on Ármann's Youth Tournament.
The girl with the cloth is putting the red-headed one to the ground by using
a stratagem called "Sniðglíma".
Sniðglíma is preformed by putting ones' right leg behind the opponent's right leg, pushing ones hip against his and pulling the belt up with the right hand.
Here the player in shorts tries to put the player in the trousers to the floor by using Sniðglíma. The player in trousers can defend by lifting the right leg and/or pushing back.
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The players must step around each other clockwise and wait for the referee to allow them to start playing. This is also to prevent stalemate.
Here the players are stepping - the stepping process is similar to Waltz. The right foot must be in front of the left foot and the players must step in the right foot first.
The players are supposed to look over each other‘s shoulders as much as possible and try to use their body to feel the opponent rather than watching him.
- Players must shake hands before and after the match – and play fairly.
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If a player falls on his elbows - and his elbows only - he does not loose. Then the players must carry on wrestling. If any other bodypart comes in touch with the ground, the player has lost.
There are actually three different types of Glíma, and each one differs from the other;
- Byxtagsglima - The most common strain of Glíma.
- Livtagsglíma - Opposite to Byxtagsglima this strain is considered to be more a test of strenght than technique. The players must take grip of each other‘s upper body and the first player to make contact to the earth with any part of the body (besides the feet of course) looses.
- Lausataksglíma (Loose-Grip-Wrestling) – The only type of glíma that can really be called a martial art. However, a friendly version also exists. The Vikings practiced Lausataksglíma so they wouldn‘t be vulnerable if they‘d lose their weapons in a battle. In the friendly version the players can grip anywhere they want on the opponent and the winner is the one that manages to put the opponent to the ground. However, the remaining one must be standing on his feet so if both competitors fall, they must rematch.
The Icelandic Glíma Association
Icelanders had held the National Wrestling Championship since 1906 and in The Icelandic Glíma Association was founded in 1965 by eleven County sport unions.
Competitions on behalf of the Icelandic Glíma Association:
- Íslandsglíman (National Wrestling Championship)
Been held since 1906. The trophy is called Grettisbeltið or the Grettir’s belt and is named after, arguably, the most famous person from the Icelandic sagas. This trophy is rightly called the greatest trophy in the sports history of Iceland. The belt is still in its original state, and the strap hasn’t even been fixed once. It is still given to the winner of the Íslandsglíma.
- Skjaldarglíma Skarphéðins ( Skarphéðin’s Shield):
Named after one of the most famous person from the Icelandic sagas. Skarphéðinn was a strong man and a good wrestler. The first tournament was in 1910 and then the price was a bid silver shield. Every since then one silver coin has been added to the silver shield with the name of the winner and the year he won. The winner gets to keep the shield until the next Skjaldarglíma.
- Freyjumenið (National Women Wrestling Championship).
Even though Icelandic women have been known to be good wrestlers through the decades women started to participate in Wrestling tournaments in 1990 and the first National Women Wrestling Championship was held in 2000. The trophy resembles the Skarphéðinsskjöldur. It is a (rather big) necklace and every winner gets a coin with her name and year on it in the chain.
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Arguably the most popular sport in Iceland is football. Most people have sometime practiced football with the local sports club and everyone around here has a favorite team in the English premier division.
The Icelandic Premier Division was founded in 1912 but the Icelandic football association wasn‘t founded until after World War II, in 1947. There used to be 10 teams in the premier division up until last season when the teams were increased to 12. In the 97 years that the division has been running, only 9 teams have won the competition! In the 2008 season there are just 3 teams of the 12 from outside the Reykjavík area. The season starts in May and finishes in August.
There are two Cups that the Icelandic teams compete about, the Visa-Bikar (Visa-Cup, Visa is the Cup‘s main sponsor) that has been running from 1960 and the Lengjubikar, which is similar to the Carling Cup in England. The Lengjubikar has been running since 1996.
The ecstatic Valur players after they won the premier division in 2007 – one of the most exciting tournament so far. The smaller trophy on the left hand side of the photo is the Visa bikar, which they also won.
The most successful team ever in Iceland is KR (Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur – Reykjavík Football Club) and has won the premier division 24 times, the Visa Bikar 10 times and the Lengjubikar 3 times. KR has been in the premier division in 94 seasons of the 97 seasons the division has been running.
- KR vs Fram in the opening match of the Icelandic Premier Division in 1912
Few Icelandic footballers have made a carrier on foreign soil, most notably Eiður Smári, who currently plays for F.C Barcelona in the Spanish premier division. Before his 12 million Euros swap to Barca he played for Chelsea and Bolton in the English premier division. The light-hearted striker has scored 128 goals on his carrier as a professional footballer.
Barcelona's blond striker
Other players often fall in the shadow of Eiður, but Iceland has produced many great defenders in the last 20 years, most notably:
Hermann Hreiðarsson (born 1974), who currently plays for Portsmouth in the English Premier league. He plays as a centre back or a left back. He played for Crystal Palace, Brentford, Wimbledon, Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic prior to his move to P’mouth. During his spell at Charlton he got the nickname “The Herminator” due to his aggressive style and willingness to sacrifice himself for the team.
Captain Hermann in the Charlton shirt. I do not want to pass him in a dark alley.
Guðni Bergsson (born 1965). A strong centre back who played 72 games (and scored 2 goals) for Tottenham Hotspur from 1988 to 1994. Then he went to Valur on loan for one season. He was bought to Bolton Wanderes in 1995 by Bruce Rioch for 110.000 pounds. He went on to play 270 games for Bolton and score 22 goals. He retired in 2003 and is now a lawyer and has his own TV-show where he discusses the recent matches in the English Premier Division with his guests. He has also worked as a scout for Bolton in Iceland and he had a major impact on Grétar Rafn Steinson’s transfer to Bolton from AZ Alkmaar (Holland) in 2008.
Guðni Bergsson.
Emil Hallfreðsson (born 1984) is a left winger who currently plays for Reggina in Serie A in Italy. He was bought to Tottenham Hotspur in 2005 from FH. He did not make a single appearance for the Tottenham first team but he did very well for the reserves team. In 2006 he was loaned to Malmö in Sweden and was later sold to Lyn (Norway). There the explosive red-head drew interest from several teams in Europe, but decided to make a move to the relegate-candidates Regina.
Rúnar Kristinsson (born 1969). Retired after the 2007 season. Rúnar had a successful carrier in Belgium where he played for Lokeren for 7 years. He made 189 appearances and scored 37 goals from 2000 – 20007. Before he joined Lokeren he played for Lilleström in Norway and Örgryte in Sweden. He was Lokeren’s vice-captin in his last season for the team. He capped 106 matches for the Icelandic national team.
Ásgeir Sigurvinsson (born 1955) (in white) is one of the most famous Icelandic football players in history. He started his carrier as a midfielder in vestmanneyjar at young age and was bought to Standard Liege in Belgium. For SL he made 239 appearances and scored 57 goals. There he caught the eye of Bayern Munich’s manager, Pál Csernai. He bought Ásgeir but he only played 17 games for Bayern and after his first season he was bought to VfB Stuttgart where he played for 8 years, making 194 appearances and scored 38 goals. He retired in 1990 and has remained a firm fan favorite both with the fans of Stuttgart and Standard Liege.
Albert Guðmundsson (born 1923, died 1994) was the first Icelandic professional footballer. He started at a young age with Valur in Reykjavík but moved to Scotland to study business in Glasgow. There he signed for Glasgow Rangers. From Glasgow he went to London to play for Arsenal. When he made his first appearance for Arsenal’s senior team in 1946 he was Arsenal’s second player from outside the British Isles, after Gerard Keyser – the Dutch goalie. Albert was unable to get a work permit in England so he moved to Nancy in France in 1946. In his first season he was Nancy’s top scorer and scored all the cup goals for Nancy. In 1948 Albert signed for AC Milan in Italy. In a match against Lazio he broke is knee so his professional carrier appeared to be over but Milan’s rivals, Internazionale (Inter Milan), made an offer for them so their doctors could perform surgery on him that AC Milan’s doctors did not want to. AC Milan rejected the offer from Inter but Albert bought up his contract and signed for Inter. The surgery was a success and Albert returned to France where he played for several teams before retiring in 1954 to pursue a carrier in politics. He was elected the chairman for the Icelandic Football Association in 1968 and held the position until 1973.
In the women’s premier division there are 10 teams. Women’s football is very controversial here in Iceland because there is usually one team that dominates the competitions for a few years.
The Icelandic women’s national team has been doing well but, sadly, falls in the shadow of the Men’s national team.
The best female footballer Icelanders have had is called Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir. She plays for Valur from Reykjavík but has been attracting attention from European clubs lately. She played one season with Duisburg in Germany but returned home in 2007 to Valur because she wanted to graduate from University. She scored a total of 72 goals in all competitions last season.
Margrét Lára showing her talent.
Other notable female player is Ásthildur Gísladóttir. She played as a midfielder and was a great leader both on and off the pitch. She had to retire due to injure.
Handball.
The second-most popular sport in Iceland, as long as the Icelandic national team is competing. Every single Icelander has an opinion on the national team and every time the team competes, wither it is participating in the world championship or just a friendly match against Moldova, everyone gets fired up. Despite this incredible interest on the national team, most people have no interest in the Icelandic Handball premier division. In the premier division there are 14 teams (Selfoss came up from second division last season) which play two rounds – home and away. Haukar are currently the holders of the Premier division, having won it by 9 points.
The Icelandic team finished in 8th position in the 2007 world cup and in 11th – 12th position in the European Championship 2008, and yet most Icelanders think our team is the greatest in the world.
Two of the most notable Icelandic handball players are:
Ólafur Stefánsson (born 1973) currently plays for Ciudad Real in Spain. He has had a very successful professional carrier in Germany where he played for HC Wuppertal and SC Magdeburg. He plays as a left-shooter and is known for his shooting straight and is widely considered one of the best handballers in the world.
Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson (born 1981) currently plays for Minden in Germany but is joining GOG in Denmark when his contract expires. He is a fan favorite and is known for his witty humor that often can be seen in his style of play.
Basketball:
If there had not been for Michael Jordan basketball wouldn’t be as popular as it is in Iceland as it is. There are 10 teams in the first division. The FSu basketball academy won promotion to the first division last season and will be competing with the best in the next season. Keflavík are the holder of the championship but of course FSu will be challenging for the title next season.
The most famous Icelandic basketball player is Pétur Guðmundsson, born 1958. He was 218 cm (7’2”) and weighted 118 kg (260 lb’s). He played as center. He was selected in the third round of the 1981 NBA draft by Portland Trailblazers. In 1984 Portland traded him in exchange for the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft to Detroid Pistons. He played with Los Angeles Lakers in 1984-1985 and was traded along with Frank Brickowski to San Antonio Spurs for Mychal Thompson before the 1985-1986 season. He played with Spurs until 1989. He also played as a pro in Argentina and England before retiring from playing and becoming a coach. He is currently the coach of Valur/Fjölnir.
Pétur attempting a slam dunk with Spurs.
He has played 2060 minutes in the NBA, scoring 693 points. He played 117 minutes in the playoffs, there of 111 mins with LA Lakers. He scored 42 points in those 111 minutes but failed to score in the 6 minutes he played for Spurs.
The other Icelandic player ever to play in the NBA is Jón Arnór Stefánsson (born 1982). He is 1.96 cm (6’5”) and weighs 92 kg (203 lb’s). He started his carrier as a youth player for KR but was bought to TBB Trier in Germany before the 2002-03 season. There he caught the eye of a scout from Dallas Mavericks and signed up for them in 2003. He only played one season in the United States and in the 04-05 season he was transferred to Dynamo St. Petersburg from Russia. After winning the FIBA EuroCup title in 2005 with the Russian side he was once again transferred to Pompea Napoli in Italy, where he played once again only one season. In 2006 he went to Spain and signed for Pamesa Valencia. When the Spanish division finished he moved back to Italy and is now playing for Lottomatica Roma.
Birgir Leifur Hafþórsson – the only Icelandic professional male golfer. Most Icelanders consider golf more of a hobby than sport.
Chess.
Iceland has given birth to many great chess players. Chess has been a popular sport since Bobby Fisher challenged the world champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavík 1972. That match has been referred to as “The Match Of The Century” ever since.
Famous Icelandic Chess players include:
Jóhann Hjartarson (born 1963) who is Iceland’s top rated chess player with an Elo rating of 2592 (his highes Elo rating however is 2640, archived in July 2003). He earned his grandmaster title in 1984.
Helgi Áss Grétarsson (born 1977) who earned his grandmaster title sometime around 2000. He has the Elo rating 2462.
Helgi Ólafsson (born 1956). Helgi earned his grandmaster title in 1985. He has won the Icelandic Chess Championship six times. He has been quoted saying he was influenced to start playing chess after the “Match Of The Century”.
Friðrik Ólafsson (born 1935) won the Icelandic chess championship first in 1952 and the Scandinavian championship a year later. He became a professional chess player in 1974 and was voted the chairman of FIDE (The World Chess Federation) in 1978.
Friðrik, very deep thoughts going on.
Ironically, Icelanders have never been good skiers. The most famous Icelandic professional skier is Kristinn Björnsson – who is more famous for falling awkwardly in the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Jón Páll Sigmarsson (born 1960, died 1993). Probably the most recognized strongman there ever was. Jón Páll decided it at age 8 that he wanted to be the world's strongest man, and so he did. He was crowned the World's Strongest Man 4 times (two times 2th, once 3rd) from 1983 - 1990, Europe's Strongest Man two times (once second, three times third and two times fourth) from 1983 - 1992, and he won the World Muscle Power competition six times (once third) from 1985-1991 .
