Sleigh race, hood toss, gift-wrapping contest, log chopping… Here’s a non-exhaustive list of events at the International Santa Claus Winter Games.
During the 2023 edition of this competition, which took place this weekend in Savalen in Norway, it was Santa Claus from Andilly, in Haute-Savoie, who won first place in the general classification, reports France Bleu.
And Maurice, a former teacher turned Santa Claus, didn’t win alone. It’s his whole gang, one Coco, one Christmas Grandma and two Christmas Mothers, which he won against almost 70 teams from Europe and North America.
Jury Crush
Over three days, the Haute-Savoie team took part in various events and came away with victory, the jury’s special “favourite” mention, and the contest trophy: a troll figure dressed as Santa Claus.
“People weren’t there to win but to have fun and help each other,” explains France Bleu Xavier, the team’s Fouettard father.
“At one point, a Swedish Santa was having trouble with his sleigh, so it was our Fouettard who went to help him by carrying it so it wouldn’t fall into the snow,” says Vincent Humbert, president of Hameau. du Père Noël in Andilly.
It was the 20th edition of the competition, the first since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: BFM TV
