 The associations, headed by the "Eidgenössischer Schwingerverband" (national federation, founded 1895), organized the sport by integrating regional peculiarities, improving the abilities of the fighters with teaching books and practices, and creating modern tournament rules.In 2020 Curdin Orlik became the first athlete in the sport of Schwingen to come out as gay, and also the first openly gay male active in Swiss professional sports.The match takes place in a ring, a circular area with a diameter of 12 meters that is covered with sawdust.