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Travel

Battle of the Nations

VICE France visits a 'medieval full contact' tournament—one of the most violent sports we know of—called Battle of the Nations. There, we watch grown men beat each other in the face with weapons that existed in Europe 800 years ago.

"Medieval full contact" is probably the most violent sport we know. Indeed, it's all about destroying the face of the guy in font of you with a blade, a lance, or any weapon that happened to exist in Europe 800 years ago. We asked our reporter Sylla Sain-Guilly to go to some enthusiasts' annual international tournament called "Battle of the Nations" and see what's up with the fighters and their peculiar RPG-like, right-wing fan base.