Be honest: when you think of athletes, those exemplars of human endurance, perseverance, passion and skill, you probably conjure up visions of someone built like a Greek adonis, all chiselled abs and jawline.
What you don’t think of – we suspect – are forklift truck drivers until now.
Described as an “epic showdown of forklift heroes”, the Stapler Cup 2023 brought together over 80 of the best forklift drivers worldwide to prove that they can do more than just lift pallets and carry stock.
Pitting the contestants against one another in a series of intense head-to-head duels, the recent Stapler Cup wasn’t short of heart-in-mouth moments – if you thought forklifts were a work vehicle that couldn’t get your adrenaline going, prepare to be proved wrong.
Held in the German town of Aschaffenberg, the shining lights of the international forklift scene come together in a clash of nations, taking on a series of gruelling challenges – including the honestly-not-too-intimidating-sounding “Hero Ramp” – to emerge victorious.
Over 4,500 fans crammed into the Frankenstolz Arena to witness the two-day competition live, while thousands more tuned into the livestream. With all the glitz and pyrotechnics, you’d associate with something like the World’s Strongest Man or even, dare we say it, the recently-returned Gladiators, the Stapler Cup might be a dark horse for the most pleasantly surprising sporting event of the year A spot on the Olympics roster can’t be too far away… Forklift truck driving as a spectator sport? Who knew!?
