Historic Highland Games on shores of Loch Ness to boast women's world heavy championship in first

Women will compete in heavy events such as the caber toss at a world championship held in Scotland for the first time.

It has long been considered the preserve of men at the highest level of the Highland Games - heavy events such as the caber toss that test an individual’s strength and power to the limits.

Now, in what has been billed as a landmark moment for traditional athletics, the first world female heavy events championship will be held in Scotland, near the picturesque shores of Loch Ness.

A female competitor takes part in the caber toss at the Glenurquhart Highlands Games in 2024 | Paul Campbell Photography

The event will take place as part of the Glenurquhart Highland Games in Drumnadrochit on Saturday, August 23.

READ MORE: History of the Highland Games: Traditions of the Scottish Highland Games explained

Organisers said the championship would position female athletes on the world stage of Highland heavy events for the first time.

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Up to 12 elite international competitors will contest five traditional events - weight for distance, weight over the bar, Scot’s hammer, shot put and the world-famous caber toss.

A female competition at the Airth Highland Games in 2024 | Mark Ferguson/NationalWorld

Duncan Overmeer, secretary of the Glenurquhart Highland Games, said: “We’re proud to be making history in Glenurquhart. The addition of a world championship for female athletes reflects the direction Highland Games are heading, celebrating inclusion and equality while honouring our heritage.

“It’s a powerful message to the next generation of athletes and an exciting moment for our local and international community.”

Applications have opened, with the first round of entries closing on July 1.

The event has been scheduled after the historic Airth Highland Games last year hosted the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association Female Heavy Championship for the first time.

Elizabeth Elliott, the 2022 ABPU World Powerlifting Champion and international Highland Games competitor, said of the Glenurquhart move: “The launch of this event in Scotland is a fantastic development for the Scottish Highland Games community,.

“A lot of Games in Scotland are changing regarding ladies’ competitions, with last year having the most games ever allowing women to compete.”

The history of the Glenurquhart games dates back to the end of the Second World War.

An athlete participates in the shot put at the Glenurquhart Highlands Games in 2024 | Paul Campbell Photography

Records show a public meeting was held in Drumnadrochit’s Blairbeg Hall on July 8, 1945 “for the purpose of constituting the Glen Urquhart Highland gathering”.

An account on the event’s official website reads: “An 18-strong committee was formed under the chairmanship of village headmaster and local legend Alistair C. McKell. Officials, including famous Inverness strong man, ‘gym’ teacher and entertainer Donald Dallas, were appointed, and arrangements made for a six-a-side Shinty contest, which was such an important feature of the early years.

“The last Saturday in August was chosen as the date, creating an instant tradition. [A total of] 1,773 spectators paid £73 12s 0d for the privilege of sharing that piece of history and ‘in addition large numbers of juveniles attended for whom no charge was made’.”

The account added: “These are the origins of the feast of Highland sporting and cultural entertainment, which is The Glen Urquhart Highland Gathering and Games. The event has come a long way since its wartime origins and the road has not always been easy. In 1957 and 1958, fortunes had reached such a low ebb that annual decisions had to be made whether or not to carry on, hardly a problem in the current era of unbroken success.”

The Games was suspended for two years during the Covid pandemic, but returned in 2022.