SAMARA, September 29 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian university said it was hosting on Sunday a mobile phone throwing competition modeled on the Angry Birds videogame that was to see participants fire their gadgets from a slingshot.
The event was staged by the Volga Region State University of Service, based in the city of Togliatti, which is nicknamed “Russia’s Detroit” for its large, but flagging automobile production industry.
Participants were also to compete in who can throw the gadgets the furthest by hand and in hitting a target with a mobile phone, the university said in a statement.
The competition was to include separate contests for men and women in each of the three categories. All sorts of “old mobile phones” were eligible, according to the organizers, who promised 5,000 rubles ($150) per winner per category.
The pastime of organized mobile phone throwing originated in Finland in 2000, during the heyday of local phone maker Nokia. Russia has been tapping into the craze since 2005, when the first competition of the kind was held in St. Petersburg.
