Strangest Sports in the World

There are some unusual competitions you have to see to believe.

Strangest Sports in the World

Face slapping is a popular pastime in some countries.

Sports go way back. Cave drawings depict wrestling as early as 3000 B.C., while the first ancient Olympic Games debuted in 760 B.C. with a footrace. That's a far cry from the global event the modern games have become.

The world’s most popular sport today, football (soccer), originated in China in the third century B.C. But football didn't reach Europe until the 12th century. In North America, Native Americans played stickball (a precursor to lacrosse). Golf was born in Scotland in the 1500s. And through the years, sports have become more formalized in everything from baseball to bobsledding.

We all know about the most popular sports, but there are some unusual ones you have to see to believe. These are the strangest sports in the world.

Bog Snorkelling

Place of origin: Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

First played: 1976

The Details: Bog Snorkelling

Bog snorkelling competitor — Nothing like a dip in some mud.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Outdoor, aquatic

Equipment: Snorkel, flippers

Bottom Line: Bog Snorkelling

Man bog snorkelling — Don't forget to breathe.

Forget about tropical waters and colorful marine life. The only thing bog snorkelling has in common with traditional snorkelling is the equipment.

This sporting event is a 120-yard swim competition in a trench cut through a peat bog, or muddy marshland. The catch? You can use only your flippers to power you. No conventional swimming strokes.

The sport started after a bar conversation and has held an annual world championship in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, since 1985. The world record is 1 minute, 18.81 seconds, for any aspiring bog snorkellers out there.

Bossaball

Place of origin: Spain

First played: 2005

The Details: Bossaball

Bossaball game — Bossaball could be the sport of the future.

Team members: Four players per side

Type of sport: Outdoor/indoor, ball game

Equipment: Inflatable court, trampoline

Bottom Line: Bossaball

People playing bossaball by the water — Are you ready for some bossaball?

What do you get when you mix volleyball, football (soccer) and gymnastics with music, capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art) and Brazilian beach culture? Bossaball. The word "bossa" means style in Brazilian Portuguese, so think of bossaball as "The Girl From Ipanema" come to life as a sport.

Filip Eyckmans, a former Belgian tennis player turned soccer enthusiast/DJ, developed the game while living in Spain, after traveling to Brazil as a band manager. He wanted to capture the late afternoon Brazilian beach vibe with athletic grace and physical skills. Mission accomplished.

Now, bossaball is played in over 20 countries and four continents.

Cheese Rolling

Place of origin: Gloucester, England

First played: 15th century (estimated)

The Details: Cheese Rolling

Cheese rolling competition — Beware of rolling cheese.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Outdoor, running

Equipment: Round of Double Gloucester cheese

Bottom Line: Cheese Rolling

Man holding up cheese — Somebody catch that cheese.

Think you have what it takes to take the cheese? Better bring your wheels. The 7-9 pound round of Double Gloucester can reach speeds of 70 miles an hour when it’s rolled down Cooper's Hill near Gloucester, England.

The exact origin of cheese rolling is unclear, but the annual event at the end of May used to be just for locals. Now people come from all over the world to compete for glory during the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake.

Like any good sportsperson, keep your eye on the cheese. It’s been known to injure some unfortunate souls.

Competitive Sleeping

Place of origin: United States (California)

First played: 1998

The Details: Competitive Sleeping

Man sleeping on couch — Sleeping skills.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Outdoor/indoor, low impact

Equipment: Bed

Bottom Line: Competitive Sleeping

Man sleeping in bed — Nothing beats a good sleep.

You snooze, you win. In 2010, Spain held its first national siesta championship to find the best napper and revive the tradition of taking a nap after lunch. All you had to do was sleep for a full 20 minutes in the middle of a shopping mall.

Not to be outdone, U.S. sleep tools brand Marpac announced the Competitive Sleeping League (CSL) championship in 2018. Marpac claimed the CSL started in 1998 after the rapid growth of the California Sleeping Club and partnered with College Humor to live stream the championship.

So is the Competitive Sleeping League real or a creative marketing strategy? Sleep on it, and let us know.

Dog Surfing

Place of origin: United States (California and Hawaii)

First played: 1920s

The Details: Dog Surfing

Young woman surfing with her dog — Hanging ten together.

Team members: Single or double competitor (dog and owner)

Type of sport: Outdoor, aquatic

Equipment: Surfboard

Bottom Line: Dog Surfing

Dog surfing on board with owner — Time to paddle.

Dog surfing started in California and Hawaii in the 1920s and has become a popular pastime. Dogs can ride alone or with their owners.

Over the years, some surfing dogs have become stars, appearing in movies, TV shows, magazine and newspaper stories. In fact, dogs got so good at surfing that humans decided to hold competitions and judge their skills based on balance, wave size and ride length.

Next time you’re at a beach with some nice waves, don’t be surprised to see Spot surf.

Egg Throwing

Place of origin: Lincolnshire, England

First played: 1322

The Details: Egg Throwing

Team members: Teams of two

Type of sport: Outdoor, throwing

Equipment: Eggs

Bottom Line: Egg Throwing

Woman catching egg — You need soft hands when you are catching eggs.

How far you can throw an egg without breaking it is more than a field day activity or Easter tradition.

According to Reuters, the World Egg Throwing Federation, founded in 2004 to support the sport of egg throwing, said the game originated in the 14th century when an English abbot, the only person in his village with chickens, encouraged church attendance by giving one egg to locals. When a flooding river prevented parishioners from attending church, monks threw them eggs.

Ever since, people from around the world have been throwing eggs for fun, bragging rights and money. A Texas man set the world record in 1978 with a throw of 323 feet, 2 inches (98.51 meters), a mark that stood until 1999, when Guinness stopped listing the record.

Now, the World Egg Throwing Federation confirms world records, and the current longest distance is 233 feet, 6 inches (71.2 meters), set by two Irishmen in 2013.

Extreme Ironing

Place of origin: Yorkshire Dales National Park, England

First played: 1980

The Details: Extreme Ironing

Extreme ironing while rock climbing — Nice day for some extreme ironing.

Team members: Single or multiple competitors

Type of sport: Outdoor/indoor, extreme

Equipment: Iron, ironing board, clothes

Bottom Line: Extreme Ironing

People sky diving while ironing — Hold on tight.

Ironing has become part-performance art and part-adventure cult as people seek crazy places and ways to press their shirts.

The unique fad started when an English man, inspired by his eccentric brother who ironed clothes on camping trips, started ironing in bizarre places like an airport and on top of telephone booths and mountaintops.

What started as stunt gained mass appeal with a documentary that showed the first extreme ironing world championships. Now, extreme ironing has spawned other "extreme" activities such as extreme cello playing.

Face Slapping

Place of origin: Russia

First played: 2018

The Details: Face Slapping

Face slapping competition — They came to bring the pain.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Combat

Equipment: Hand

Bottom Line: Face Slapping

Man slapping other man — Ready or not, here comes the slap.

Face slapping is nothing new, but competitive face slapping is. And it’s already been christened the world’s greatest sport. For good reason.

Two men (of any size) take turns slapping the sense out of each other until one taps out or gets floored. Knockouts come fast and furious.

The winner of the 2019 Male Slapping Championship at the Siberian Power Show in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, was Vasily Pelmen, a 370-pound bear of a man nicknamed "Dumpling." He took home 30,000 Russian rubles, or $470, for his effort. And became an instant legend.

Far Leaping (Fierljeppen)

Place of origin: Netherlands

First played: 1771

The Details: Far Leaping (Fierljeppen)

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Outdoor, running and jumping

Equipment: Wooden pole, body of water

Bottom Line: Far Leaping (Fierljeppen)

Woman far leaping — Fierljeppen is not recommended for anyone who is afraid of heights.

Some sports are created out of necessity, by accident or both. Take far leaping (fierljeppen), or pole vaulting for distance.

Because the Netherlands are under sea level, the country has many waterways. Friesans (Dutch people from the province of Friesland) used fierljeppen as a way to move around the waterways.

They turned this practical application into informal competitions in 1771. The sport became organized almost 200 years later, holding championships with leagues and clubs.

Today, thanks to international tourism, the sport has spread beyond the Netherlands.

Giant Pumpkin Kayaking

Place of origin: Canada (Lake Pesaquid in Windsor, Nova Scotia)

First played: 1999

The Details: Giant Pumpkin Kayaking

Man and his giant pumpkin kayak — May the best pumpkin win.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Aquatic, racing

Equipment: Giant pumpkin, kayak paddle

Bottom Line: Giant Pumpkin Kayaking

People pumpkin kayaking — Pumpkin pie for everyone.

Standard jack-o'-lanterns are child’s play compared to giant pumpkin kayaking.

First, you need to hollow out a 1,000-pound watercraft. No small feat. It takes patience and a strong knife.

Then, you need to get your pumpkin to the water to make sure it floats. You can’t just carry it. A Bobcat, or some other heavy-duty transporter, can do the job.

After the pumpkin is in the water, and you are in the pumpkin, it’s time to paddle. Navigating requires practice, but once you get the hang of it, row, row, row your gourd.

Besides Nova Scotia, giant pumpkin races have been held in Vermont, Oregon and Maine.

Goat Dragging (Buzkashi)

Place of origin: Central Asia

First played: 10th-15th century

The Details: Goat Dragging (Buzkashi)

Goat dragging contest — Goat dragging is not too popular with vegans.

Team members: Teams or individuals, 10-12 participants per side

Type of sport: Outdoor, physical

Equipment: Horses, headless goat or calf

Bottom Line: Goat Dragging (Buzkashi)

People engaging in goat dragging — Buzkashi is popular in Asia.

Afghanistan’s national sport is not for the weak. In Persian, "buzkashi" means "goat dragging," and that about sums up this game.

Teams or individuals ride horses around a playing area that’s as big as two football fields, vying for control of a headless goat or calf carcass that weighs 50-100 pounds. The goal is to put the carcass in the opponent’s kazan, or goal.

Nomadic Turkic peoples moving westward from China and Mongolia created buzkashi around the 10th century as a diversion from ordinary herding. Their descendants are the game’s main players today.

Kabaddi

Country of origin: India

First played: 1923

The Details: Kabaddi

Men engaged in kabaddi — Kabaddi has a lot of history.

Team members: Seven players per side

Type of sport: Indoor/outdoor, contact

Equipment: None

Bottom Line: Kabaddi

People doing Kabaddi — Kabaddi was first played in 1923.

Are you ready to rumble — and achieve total consciousness? Kabaddi combines wrestling, tag and holding your breath. Some accounts claim the Buddha played the game recreationally.

Two teams compete against each other. The object is for one player on offense (a "raider") to tag out as many opponents as possible, without being tackled, in a single breath.

Popular in India and Asia, kabaddi (from the Tamil word "kai-pidi," meaning "to hold hands") is the national sport of Bangladesh and Nepal. It's taught at an early age in school, and some kids dream of playing in a pro league and big competitions.

Kick Volleyball (Sepak Takraw)

Place of origin: Malaysia

First played: 15th century

The Details: Kick Volleyball (Sepak Takraw)

Kick volleyball game — You ain't seen nothing yet.

Team members: Three players per side

Type of sport: Indoor/outdoor

Equipment: Rattan ball

Bottom Line: Kick Volleyball (Sepak Takraw)

Team playing Kick Volleyball in Jakarta Asian Games 2018 — You need good feet to play this game.

Imagine playing volleyball with no hands. All you can use are your feet, knees, chest and head to touch the ball. That’s the game of sepak takraw, or kick volleyball.

The sport originated in Malaysia in the 15th century and remains popular there and across Southeast Asia in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

The International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) governs international play. Annual major competitions include the ISTAF SuperSeries, ISTAF World Cup and King's Cup World Championships.

Lawn Mower Racing

Place of origin: United States (Twelve Mile, Ind.)

First played: 1963

The Details: Lawn Mower Racing

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Motorsport

Equipment: Lawn mower, race track

Bottom Line: Lawn Mower Racing

People in a lawn mower race — If you're not first, you're last.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your lawn mowers. All ages are welcome. Just keep it safe. Speeds can reach over 30 miles per hour.

Lawn mower racing has been a tradition in the U.S. for decades. Twelve Mile, Ind., started an annual Fourth of July race in 1963 that runs like a NASCAR contest. North Carolina, Missouri and New Mexico also host regular events.

But lawn mower racing isn’t just loved in America. The U.K. held its first organized race in 1968. The British Lawn Mower Racing Association (BLMRA) was formed in 1973, and several racing clubs promote sprint or endurance events.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia has been racing lawn mowers since 1978 and held its first national race in 2009.

Man Versus Horse Marathon

Place of origin: Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

First played: 1980

The Details: Man Versus Horse Marathon

Man and horse in a marathon — This is not Seabiscuit.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Running

Equipment: Running gear

Bottom Line: Man Versus Horse Marathon

Woman on a horse followed by men jogging marathon — Giddyup.

The United Kingdom is not short on creative ideas for sporting events. This annual race pits human versus animal. The marathon is 22 miles, not quite an official marathon, but still impressive.

The first competition started in 1980 in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales (also the home of bog snorkelling) after an argument in a pub. The owner, Gordon Green, wanted to settle a debate and prove that humans were equal to horses over long distances.

He was proven right in 2004, the 25th iteration of the race, as a man racing on foot beat a horse for the first time (a cyclist won the race in 1989) and collected 25,000 pounds ($32,610 today). The winner's pot had been growing by 1,000 pounds ($1,304) every year.

In 2013, 65 horses entered the event, and 44 completed the course, making it "the world’s largest horse race."

Other man versus horse marathons are held in Scotland and New Zealand.

Mud-Pit Belly Flopping

Place of origin: United States (East Dublin, Ga.)

First played: 1996

The Details: Mud-Pit Belly Flopping

Woman mud-pit belly flopping — Nice form.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Aquatic

Equipment: None

Bottom Line: Mud-Pit Belly Flopping

A man and a woman engage in mud-pit belly flopping — Do you have what it takes to flop?

Who could forget the Redneck Games? Started in East Dublin, Ga., in 1996 by a local radio station’s general manager, the games featured the kind of events that would make Jeff Foxworthy proud: toilet seat throwing, armpit serenade, bobbing for pig’s feet and more.

Mud-pit belly flopping was a fan favorite from the beginning. Competitors never failed to capture the triumph of the human spirit by falling face first in a pile of mud.

The Redneck Games ended in Georgia 2012, but the tradition continued in Minto, Ontario, Canada, and Athens, Texas. Of course, mud-pit belly flopping remains popular wherever dirt and water can be found.

Pole Toppling (Bo-Taoshi)

Place of origin: Japan

First played: 1945

The Details: Pole Toppling (Bo-Taoshi)

Pole toppling competition — It's kind of like capture the flag.

Team members: 150 per side

Type of sport: Contact, strategy

Equipment: Wooden pole

Bottom Line: Pole Toppling (Bo-Taoshi)

Kids playing pole toppling at schools in Japan — It takes a lot of people to win this game.

Bring the pole down. That’s the rough translation of bo-taoshi, the game invented by the Japanese military as a training exercise.

Now, the game — which combines rugby, wrestling, sumo and NFL football — is played at the National Defense Academy of Japan, where students are shaped into officers.

This capture-the-flag variation may look like unorganized chaos with 300 players squaring off on a field, but there’s a method to the madness in the quest to lower a 12-foot, 8-inch wooden pole to a 30-degree angle.

Rabbit Jumping (Kaninhoppning)

Place of origin: Sweden

First played: Early 1970s

The Details: Rabbit Jumping (Kaninhoppning)

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Outdoor, physical

Equipment: Jumping course, rabbit

Bottom Line: Rabbit Jumping (Kaninhoppning)

A rabbit hopping over hurdles — These rabbits have hops.

One day in the 1970s, some Swedes had an idea: If horses can jump in competitions, why not rabbits? The rest is history. Jumping courses for rabbits were built, rules were developed to suit the smaller species, and the first national championship was held in 1987.

The Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping (SKHRF) formed seven years later, and before long, Germay, Norway, Finland and even the United States had created clubs. Now, rabbit jumping, or kaninhoppning in Swedish, has a subculture all its own.

Any rabbits can participate, but the ideal furry friend is between 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) and 11 pounds (5 kilograms). The world record for a rabbit jump is 39.2 inches, or 99.5 centimeters, and has stood since 1997.

Shin Kicking

Place of origin: England

First played: 1612

The Details: Shin Kicking

Shin kicking competition — Are we having fun yet?

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Combat

Equipment: Soft shoes, straw padding in pants

Bottom Line: Shin Kicking

Kicking shins is nothing new, but there’s an art to this English martial art that goes beyond brute aggression and playground bullying.

Winning is all about timing and kicking your opponent in the right place. Learn the proper technique, and you, too, could become a master in the way of shin kicking.

With enough training, you even might be good enough to battle in the annual World Shin Kicking Championships at the Cotswold Olimpick Games, which draws thousands of spectators.

Toe Wrestling

Place of origin: Staffordshire, England

First played: 1974

The Details: Toe Wrestling

Toe wrestling match — This might stink a little.

Team members: Single competitor

Type of sport: Combat

Equipment: Foot

Bottom Line: Toe Wrestling

Two men toe wrestling in front of audience — When was the last time you washed your feet?

If you can’t beat ‘em, create your own sport. That’s what four drinking buddies did at Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn.

Tired of not having any world champions from the United Kingdom, they invented toe wrestling in 1974. One of the founders became the first champion and repeated. But a ringer from Canada took his title, and the sport dissolved.

Now, it’s making a comeback with the annual World Toe Wrestling Championship and players like the "Toeminator" and "Nasty." Can you say foot five?

Underwater Hockey

Place of origin: England

First played: 1954

The Details: Underwater Hockey

Women playing underwater hockey — Game on.

Team members: Up to 10 (six in play)

Type of sport: Aquatic

Equipment: Diving mask, snorkel, fins, water polo cap, stick, puck

Bottom Line: Underwater Hockey

People playing underwater hockey — Underwater hockey is also known as Octopush.

Rodney Dangerfield liked to joke about going to a fight and a hockey game breaking out. The same could be said about going to a swimming pool and underwater hockey.

The game, also known as Octopush, started when the founder of an underwater diving club wanted to keep his members engaged during winter. It worked. While there is no fighting in underwater hockey, the game has plenty of action pushing a hockey puck into an opponent’s goal along the bottom of a pool.

Canada hosted the first Underwater Hockey World Championship in 1980. Interest spread to South Africa, Australia and the Philippines. And now the game is popular in many countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand and U.S.

Unicycle Polo

Place of origin: Germany

First played: 1925 (unicycle hockey in the German film "Varieté")

The Details: Unicycle Polo

Unicycle polo players — Off to the races.

Team members: Three to five players per side

Type of sport: Indoor/outdoor, limited contact

Equipment: Unicycle, mallet, wooden ball

Bottom Line: Unicycle Polo

People playing unicycle polo at night — Cue the circus music.

Polo is considered a rich man’s sport because a polo horse alone can cost between $5,000 to $200,000. A unicycle goes for as low as $36. Any wonder why unicycle polo was created?

The biggest barrier to entry is learning how to ride a unicycle and finding a court or parking lot to serve as a field of play. Once those hurdles are crossed, the same rules of the polo game apply.

Then, it’s off to the races on one wheel with dozens of unicycle clubs and organizations around the world. And if you want to play another unicycle game, like unicycle hockey (the forerunner of unicycle polo), just switch to a hockey stick.

Urban Golf

Place of origin: Scotland

First played: 1741

The Details: Urban Golf

Man playing urban golf — A Cinderella story.

Team members: Single competitor or teams

Type of sport: Outdoor, club and ball

Equipment: Golf clubs (putter, wood, iron), tennis balls, air flow ball, squash ball, cayman ball, customized ball (leather filled with goose feathers)

Bottom Line: Urban Golf

Man urban golfing on cobblestone — Nice day for some urban golf.

Just like golf, urban golf is believed to have started hundreds of years ago in Scotland. Legend has it that the first urban golf course was outside an inn in Edinburgh.

The game is the same except 18 holes are played in a city environment such as an industrial site, school or even the street. Players use standard golf clubs and hit tennis, squash balls or other types of non-destructive balls into targets. Real golf balls are used only when it’s safe.

The game is free. There’s no dress code. And it can be played around the world with associations on almost every continent.

Wife Carrying

Country of origin: Finland

First played: 1992

The Details: Wife Carrying

Man carrying his wife — Textbook form. It's all in the hips.

Team members: Two

Type of sport: Running

Equipment: Belt (worn by carrier), helmet (worn by carried)

Bottom Line: Wife Carrying

People carrying wives on the beach — Don't say anything about her weight. Unless it's a compliment.

Behind every great man is a great woman. Often, that woman is a wife, who carries a heavy load supporting her husband and family in underappreciated ways. Wife carrying returns the favor.

The sport involves a male competitor racing through two dry obstacles and one water obstacle while carrying a female teammate. The female must weigh at least 108 pounds (49 kilograms), or additional weight will be added to her. The team that completes the course fastest wins.

The Wife Carrying World Championships began in Finland in 1992. The winner gets her wife’s weight in beer. Now, wife carrying contests take place in the United States, Hong Kong, Estonia, United Kingdom and Australia.

Zorbing

Place of origin: New Zealand

First played: 1994

The Details: Zorbing

Team members: One to three competitors

Type of sport: Indoor/outdoor, extreme

Equipment: Zorb

Bottom Line: Zorbing

Ever wanted to take a spin in a hamster ball? Then, you’ll love zorbing.

The recreational sport involves getting in a transparent plastic orb and rolling down a hill. It also can be used on water and flat surfaces.

In 2001, zorbing became a word in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, defined as "a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball which is then rolled along the ground or down hills.”

Let the good times roll.