OVER two hundred competitors from 14 countries are descending on a North Yorkshire town for world championship first.

Axemore Throwing Club is hosting the World Double-Bit Axe Throwing Championship between August 23 and August 25 at Thirsk Racecourse.

Contenders aim at a target section which is ten inches thick, 24 inches across, while they stand 6.1 metres away, usually considered the distance of one full revolution of the axe when thrown.

Ian Radmore, who runs Axemore, said: “A double-bit has two blades, and mine weighs over two kilogrammes so you can’t really compare them with a one-handed axe.

“These are about three feet long and normally used for felling trees.”

The bank holiday weekend brings in competitors from as far afield as Canada and India, as well as Germany and Sweden where the sport is popular.

Now in its fourth edition, this is the first time the event has been held in the UK.

Ian said: “There are double-bit clubs here and we held national qualifiers to get people throwing and to try and open the sport up a bit more.

"I threw in Canada in 2022 and while we were over there I made a bid to get the world champs over here."

Volunteers and supporters have been busy setting up ahead of the competition which has been planned for two years and covers five categories over the three days.