The World Stone Skimming Championship kicked off on Saturday on the Scottish island of Easdale, with 400 competitors from more than 30 countries

The World Stone Skimming Championships are taking place on Saturday on Easdale Island, in the Inner Hebrides off western Scotland, where 400 competitors from more than 30 countries are competing for the world titles. The event attracts approximately 2,000 spectators, although the island has only 60 residents.

Each participant is entitled to three throws. The stone must remain within the designated lane and touch the water at least three times, with the distances added together. The stones must come from Easdale, measure less than 7.6 centimetres and pass through the “Ring of Truth.” After a scandal caused by polished stones last year, organisers appointed an official geologist.

The competition began in 1983 and has been held annually since 1997, except during the pandemic. The contest takes place in a former quarry flooded by the ocean, after a huge wave destroyed the local slate industry in 1881. American Jonathan Jennings is the reigning men’s champion, while Briton Lucy Wood is seeking her seventh women’s title. The event supports charities and the local community’s economy.