Great footage. It's so easy to forget what a natural talent Leonard Hulz was. I honestly believe if it wasn't for his well-documented Optrex addiction he could have been the next Spatsky. Kids laugh these days but, if he was on the go now, he would stare rings around Messinho or Ronaldovic.

I remember meeting Giggles Clifton at the Optrex Masters back in 1980. A true gentleman of staring who always had time for his fans.

Just brought the 2009 version of Ultimate Staring Manager, lots of improvements on last years one with the addition of the clips of the players entrances and a much more realistic game play. EA Sports have done a really good job on this one.

Spatsky definitely needs to be stripped of the title. It has recently come out that in addition to his use of steroids to strengthen the ocular muscles (superior and inferior rectus) he apparently also used super glue on his corneas in this match. A true disgrace to the sport.

so simple, yet genius! Graham Linehan is amazing

Online play on the PS3 is truly fantastic on "The Staring Games 2010", ive gone on for whole afternoons and into the evening. Truly Brilliant

S Wallace a classic example of staring "2.17" so cheeky how did he get away with that ?great athletes fantastic play. bravo! bravo!

Oh god, this is absolutely ridiculous, yet so hilarious!

I met Clifton at Rochdale in 1983 he was a real gentleman. He was competing in an exhibition tournament and struggled, still trying to shake off his Optex addiction. Still, he was kind to me.

Great to see Samuel Wallace competing, Black people weren't even aloud to stare for many years, It goes to show how far we have come.

Thing is, with modern techniques and diet, Clifton would be elevated to another level. Would Spatsky have been so dominant without the top-class medical attention enabling a quicker post-stare recovery time? That was one of the things about Uzlian and particularly Hartha, they could come back from a brutal contest better than anyone. Nobody gave Hartha a chance against Staniforth in the 1958 semi after his eyeball-searing contest against Mortar Neilson, but he emerged stronger than ever.

I quite fancy Claude de Touatte to make a name for himself. The Belgians have had nothing to cheer about since their golden age back in the 50s and he could be the man to lift that staring mad nation out of the doldrums.

I remember that wasp incident with Popstopolous. He has often surprised his opponents, looking like he's about to go down and suddenly winning the match in a mere moment later.

I remember Trevor (Snoddy) Smith. He was a fantastic starer trained hard everyday, but as all starers got addicted to Optrex.

What a Brilliant performance by Spatsky. Definitely a sport you should look at.

best olympic sport ever

Absolutely brilliant :)

I remember the family crowding round the telly to watch the 43rd WSC, little did we know how good the championships would be. On a tangent I was lucky enough to get tickets to the '08 Mongolian nationals (held in Paris due to the political unrest). The standard was a long way from Spatsky, Lutz and Duran etc. but still a fantastic display of staring, the British government need to realise that staring should be taken more seriously in this country rather than sideshows like the Olympics.

Barry Davies' commentary is superb

The ref Jakob Meickerberg was my German teacher at school

Yes Giggles was a god, but Duran, with his unique style might just take staring to a higher level.

Just as I suspected, Clifton was a great, but the professionals of today are a class above. Im hoping for that game to come out on the Xbox, I hear the online play is incredible.

Although you have to give Spatsky credit for his total dominance of the sport and while he'll always be regarded as a great he'll never be a legend like Giggles Clifton or Roman Solowka because of the arrogant way that he celebrated his victory against poor Alessandro Kompagnola. No offer of a handshake, no hint of a smile, he just stood up and walked off as if he knew before he started that he was going to win. He'll never be a neutral's favourite if he continues to behave like that.

I've just returned from the X-games where I lost in the second qualification round of the Escher Cup. Well, to be honest I was disqualified for using the nose-dribble distraction technique. (It's hay-fever season dammit)

Thanks for posting. :)

Duran is different class, such poise

I realise how late I am to the party, however, I wish to make you all aware of Bob Mortimer's 'Athletico Mince.' Look out for: 'Peter Beardsley,' and you'll get a taste of 'the "One,"' as he, (no, not THAT 'one,') was so well known.

I know this may be an unpopular view, but I like Duran's style. He may not be a high calibre starer, but I like his unconventionality.

GIGGLES CLIFTON!

Samuel "The Butcher" Wallace RULES!!!

More that 3 times as many people have watched part 1 of the staring tournament than part 2. People don't stare at KZfaq like they used to.

This was really the beginning of the end for Campagnola's career. I don't think he ever recovered from this drubbing, and I remember his defeat in the first round of the Malaysian Open the following year to a young Diego Mirando (what a player he went on to be!). It's a shame that the sport of staring doesn't have such colourful characters anymore - dare I say it's become a bit bland!

This sport is growing,,just you watch,,,I was in a bar in chorlton last Tuesday and met one of the fastest starer,he is modest but fast and looks the part,,will be in the elite in about 2 years ,,,Malcolm giovanni smethirst ,good look pal

Duncan McCocklin's 'Twittergate' scandal where he accidently posted details of an illicit affair he was having with his next door neighbour's walrus called Scargill has completely cast a shadow on the moral integrity of the sport of staring. We could put up with the affairs with other humans, but this is beyond the pale. I mean these professional stare outers are role models for our kids!

2:54 - now come on. Where were the officials on THAT?!? Ridiculous. It's those kinds of (lack of) decisions that are ruining the game. Yes, yes - I appreciate these finalists aren't the *most* experienced but please. This is no excuse for such sloppy - and unsportsmanly - play. In short, a disgrace.

@oejwells Giggles Clifton endorsing that godawful Konami version didn't hurt sales either. My youngest is competing in a youth tournament tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Pipi Popstopolous ftw!

@Pureteenlard The Wii one is a nothing game. A decent stareout game needs top of the line graphics. The new 2K12 game is where it's at, but I find some of the rendering a little subpar. It's hard to stare in first person mode when your opponent's eyes keep dropping in graphical fidelity. I've yet to see the truly definitive stareout simulation but i think it'll come from the officially licenced EA titles over your lesser cash-ins.

I know its hard to compare different eras, but who do you think would win if Giggles Clifton were to meet Spatsky?

@PieWhitefoot He runs a pub near Exeter.

when i felt over once i too had bad bowel movements so good luck to team gb in the world cup

Starecam!

I can't understand how this sad excuse for a sport still has so many followers. It has utterly betrayed its working-class roots. Last year's final, with the media's darling Pedro De La Staros overcoming Bobby Bugeye was a fix and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. Personally I've transferred my allegiance to Thumb War. At least there governing body is still in touch with the essence of that sport. Damn shame because I grew up with Stare-Out, I just can't bear to see what's happening to it.

Campagniola is the Cristiano Ronaldo of Staring!! GO CAMPAGNIOLA!!

Sorry, but until the death-testing procedures are more stringent, I'm cynical about these tournaments. Take last year's Benson & Hedges Masters. Yeah, "Wall-Eye" Klipko won it, but it doesn't mean much when he's found to be suffering from rigor mortis, and they have to carry him out of the arena like a plaster statue because he's been dead for at least 4 hours. And who can beat the dead at staring? As Johnno said in the commentary, you should at least have a pulse to qualify in the first place.

does anyone have the amateur sketch they did?

He played Nanak all wrong though. I mean, Nanak beat him with something in hand...Nanak is more perspiration than inspiration and such an unorthodox style would not faze him.

I was wondering what people thought of Barry Hearn's recent involvement with staring? Were the players right in letting him take a majority stake? I know a lot of people are happy about the increase in European tournaments, as am I, but if things go wrong will he walk away like he says he will?

Well you know how some people can be when it comes to the WSOS, they get a bit fanatical. Are you going to the World Series Of Staring this year?

@tvdd1973 I agree completely, the SOA has completely lost touch with the grass roots level. Indeed perhaps former controversial Team GB captain Ian Notham was right when he said it is run by dinosaurs.

It's a shame that Cuddles Broughton went out in the Quarter's due a bogus VAU call

Is it cheating if you use a catatonic competitor?

I'm surprised more people haven't complained about the 2013 version. It's been so dumbed down, it's even worse than Madden. I'm so disappointed, you don't have the combos in the latest version that made the last few editions so great. Where does that blink in the 3rd round come from? It's the worst kind of rubber band eyelid flash I've seen since Activision's version in 2007. Fuck you EA, I'm going with the 2010 version. I don't care how flashy the graphics are, I'd rather go with the gameplay.

lmao at the comments, great

Giggles Clifton was God! Duran is a disgrace.

What's with all of these arguments and/or debates going on during these videos?

I'd be inclined to say Spassky, except he's never done well at in Abkhazia, probably because of the terrible standard of table that the Abkhaz Federation employ. Why the greats of the game insist on attending this tired old Communist-era venue is beyond me. Nostalgia is all very well, but there is a new world order in our sport and the Sochi event does not belong to it.