20 weird sports around the world that you’ve probably never heard of
Playing or watching sports is one way that brings unity within a community. The world has numerous sports that people engage in, from football, basketball, and athletics, to mention a few. Certain sports are considered unusual due to their extreme nature and limited presence in certain regions. Here is a look at weird sports in different parts of the world.
Source: UGC
Sports have been around for centuries, and most people know about mainstream sports such as soccer, tennis, rugby etc. But did you know that other than popular sports, there are many wired sports? You might have yet to hear about several of these unusual sports. Have a look are these 20 weird sports around the world that you've probably never heard of.
20 weird sports around the world
Sports are a popular form of entertainment and competition around the world. While some sports are universally recognized and enjoyed, there are many unusual and bizarre sports that are played in different parts of the world. Some of them include:
1. Shovel Racing
Source: UGC
Place of origin: USA
Shovel Racing is one of the weird sports in the world. This sport borrows the concept of sledging, but instead of the sledge, one uses a shovel. Like other strange sports, shovel racing started oddly. Workers at a New Mexico ski resort in the '70s used shovels to move from one point to point quickly. This sport made it to the winter X games in 1997 but was stopped for safety reasons.
2. Fireball soccer
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Place of origin: United Kingdom
Fireball soccer makes the cut on the list of the weirdest sports in the world. This game started in the United Kingdom in 1297. It is precisely what you expect, kerosene-soaked coconut on fire. Players are barefoot when playing this game, as if that is not enough. Standard soccer rules apply, and whoever scores the most goals wins.
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3. Wife-carrying
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Place of origin: Finland
This popular sport is a worthy addition to the most obscure sports list. Although wife-carrying is not necessarily a serious sport, competitors take it seriously. Every year, the wife-carrying championship is held in Finland.
The goal of the race is for men to carry their wives over their shoulders through a 250m track. The participants are expected to tackle one wet and two dry obstacles. The couple with the fastest time wins.
4. Extreme ironing
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Place of origin: England
Extreme ironing is one of the most bizarre sports in the world. Participants of this game take their ironing boards to a remote location and compete to iron clothes. Extreme ironing is more of an exhibition than a completive, as the best-ironed shirt wins the game. It originated in 1997 in Leicester by a guy called Phil Shaw.
5. Camel jumping
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Place of origin: Yemen
This is one of the oldest weird sports in the world. Professional camel jumpers use their speed and strength to move over as many camels as possible. It is practised by the Zaraniq tribe in western Yemen, although PETA has not approved it.
6. Chess boxing
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Place of origin: Germany
Chess boxing is among the world's weirdest sports. The sport was invented by Dutch performance artist Lepe Rubingh who got the idea in a French graphic novel. The novel was written in 1992 by Enki Bilal in his comic book Froid Equateur. This game needs brain and brawn which often leads to head trauma. The sport has gained many fans in Germany, India, Russia, and the UK.
7. Quidditch
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Place of origin: United Kingdom
Quidditch was first popularized in the famous Harry Potter series. The sport is weird as it was meant to be played while competitors are seated on flying broomsticks. However, in the real world, it is played on a hockey field, and it is called muggle quidditch because muggles are the non-magic folk. Quidditch has made it into the professional leagues in the United Kingdom, making it in continental and international competitions.
8. Man vs Horse Marathon
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Place of origin: Wales
This sport started in 1979 in Welsh to settle a pub argument where locals wondered who would win a race between man and horse. From that time, a marathon race of 22 miles (35.4 km) is held in Wales involving horses and men. The horses have won most of the races, although men have won twice, taking home a $40,000 cash prize.
9. Bird song contest
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Place of origin: Belgium
The Bird Song Contest is one of the strangest sports ever invented. This is because this sport almost defies description. As the name suggests, this competition is between birds to see which tweets the most at a given period. The goldfinches are primarily used, and this sport has been rocked by doping scandals recently.
10. Shin-kicking
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Place of origin: England
The shin-kicking sport originates from Wales, proving England is a hotbed for weird sports. All you need to participate is four shins and a high pain tolerance. As the name suggests, participants kick one another's shins until one is on the ground or calls out 'sufficient.' It was one Cotswold Olimpick games held annually in the UK until the 1850s.
11. Sepak takraw
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Place of origin: Asia
Sepak takraw is a popular sport in Southeast Asia and even started making inroads in the US in the '80s. This action-packed game is like volleyball, but players use their feet, knees and chest to pass the ball around.
Sepak takraw is played on a court the size of a badminton court and involves two teams with three players each. This game has gone global, with the International Sepak takraw Federation holding competitions with teams from over a hundred countries.
12. Cheese-Rolling and Wake
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Place of origin: England
This is one of the strangest sports that takes place annually at Cooper's Hill near Gloucester. A round of Double Gloucester Cheese is rolled from the hilltop, and competitors chase it. Although the idea is to catch the cheese is near impossible as it can reach a speed of up to 70 mph. This means the first person to cross the finish line wins the cheese. Playing a game like this needs both speed and balance.
13. Dog surfing
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Place of origin: California
Although weird, Dog surfing is one the cutest sport of all. This sport has caught the attention of many people recently, although it started in the 1920s. It originated in San Diego and has quickly spread to other parts of America and Australia. The dogs are trained to stay upright with their owner on a surfboard in the ocean. Surf City Surf Dog Competition is an annual competition held since 2009 in Huntington Beach, California.
14. Buzkashi
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Place of origin: Afghanistan
Buzkashi is among the most bizarre sports in the world. This game is not for the fainthearted as it is translated to "goat dragging". A team of riders compete to drag the carcass of a dead goat to a predetermined goal. To make things weirder, whips are added, and things can be a little nasty. The team that gets to the destination first wins the game.
15. Zorbing
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Place of origin: New Zealand
Zorbing was invented in 1994 in New Zealand and has now spread to Canada, Australia, Japan and the US. It is a sport that involves rolling an orb downhill. The orb is transparent plastic and moves through the water and other obstacles. Some people take it as an extreme sport, and others use it as a recreational or team building activity.
16. Redneck Games
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Place of origin: United States
This sport has been held every summer in East Dublin, Georgia, since 1996. It is an athletic game involving unique sports. Some competitions include toilet seat tossing, mud belly flops, seed spitting, dumpster diving and armpit serenades.
17. Limbo
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Place of origin: Belgium
Limbo skating is one of the craziest sports you may not have heard about. This game is exactly as the name suggests and combines limbo and skating. Competitors attempt to limbo under different obstacles while moving fast on roller-skates. In 2021 a 7-year-old set a new limbo skating record of 13.74 seconds.
18. Underwater hockey
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Place of origin: England
Participants hold their breath as they manoeuvre a puck along the bottom of a pool into the opposing team's goal. In this sport, two teams push a puck with a stick underwater to the opposing goalmouth. Octopush's World Championship was first held in 1980 and has been played.
19. Bo-Taoshi
Place of origin: Japan
Bo-Taoshi is a Japanese sport that pits two teams of 75 players against each other to bring down the opponent's team's pole. When lowered more than 30 degrees, the pole is also a point. Best communication skills are vital to winning this game.
20. Toe wrestling
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Place of origin: England
This sport is like its sister sport, arm wrestling. It involves two people locking their feet and attempting to pin the opponent's foot down. This crazy thing is that this game was started in a pub by four drinking buddies. A toe wrestling world championship has been held in Welton since 1994 with classifications of men, women, and youths.
Above are some of the weird sports around the globe that you can explore. Next time you are looking for a crazy game with your friends, pick from any of the above list and have fun. However, before engaging in any of these sports, have insurance and understand the rules of the game.
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