You have too much watched, played and heard about Football, Tennis, Basketball, Baseball, Rugby and Cricket. These mainstream sports attracts the most. However, there is more to sports than just hitting a ball. There are many unusual sports around the world that you might not have heard about or discovered. Here, we present you a list of top 10 unusual sports, you probably don’t agree, but these are actually played.
Check out the list of unusual sports. Though it may be hard to believe, these sports are actually played by real people around the world.
10. Oil wrestling
Oil wrestling is a Turkish national sport. It is held around the world in June every year, though one of the oldest competitions is in Kirkpinar, Edirne Turkey. The wrestling is part of a festival, dating back to 1357 celebrating an Ottoman victory. The contest, known as pehlivan covered in olive oil trying to wrestle the other to the ground – maybe not everyone’s idea of fun. Oil wrestling festivals also take place in northern Greece in the Eastern Macedonia and West Thrace. In recent years, this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries, particularly the Netherlands and Japan.
9. Poohsticks
Poohsticks is a sport first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne. It is a simple sport which may be played on any bridge over running water. Each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side is the winner. The annual World Poohsticks Championships have been held at Day’s Lock on the River Thames in the UK, since 1984.
8. Bed Racing
One of the most unusual sports – The Bed Racing has been embraced by the people of the North Yorkshire Town of Knaresborough. The first race in 1965 was only open to Army, Navy and American Marines, but now the competition is open to anyone.The competitors race in teams of five, plus one on the bed. Each team must provide their own bed, decorated in the theme for the year. The bed runs on four wheels, but also need to be able to float. This 3km run race begins and ends at Conyngham Hall. About halfway through the run, the teams face the one-in-five gradient climb to Castle Top before it’s back down the hill and toward the final challenge – crossing a river.
7. Zorbing
Zorbing is the recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, generally made of transparent plastic. It is generally performed on a gentle slope, but can also be done on a level surface, permitting more rider control. Though much of the publicity about this activity describe it as an extreme sport. I am not sure. It is quite extreme, but there is no competition about it, unless you compete with your friend about whether you will do it or not.
6. Extreme Ironing
Extreme Ironing is an extreme but dangerous sport and a performance art. People who play this unusual sports go to a remote location and iron clothes! They call themselves ‘ironists’, and get a thrill from taking their ironing board, unplugged iron and some of their wrinkly clothes to some extreme places and photograph themselves doing it. Such places that they have reached include extreme altitude, underwater, hanging from cliffs, and on top of vehicles. According to the official website, extreme ironing is “the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.”
5. Wife Carrying Competition
Wife carrying is a sport in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. It is held annually in Finland in early July, and requires a man to negotiate a 253.5 m course while carrying their wife on their back. The course includes various surfaces and getting through dry land and water based obstacles. The prize to the winner is a mobile phone, and more importantly they also win their wife’s weight in beer.
4. World Gurning Contest
A competition where the ugliest face wins. Gurning is apparently a word for pulling a face, and you probably are not surprised to know that there is a World Gurning Contest. Gurning competitions are originated in 1297 at the Egremont Crab Fair, in the UK. It makes sense then that as part of ‘Crab Fair’ in this part of the world they hold face pulling competitions to see who can make the ugliest face.
3. Chess boxing
Chess boxing is a hybrid sport that combines chess with boxing in alternating rounds. The sport was invented by French artist and filmmaker Enki Bilal in his comic book Froid Équateur in 1992. The first real event of chess-boxing was organized by Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh in 2003. Chess boxing is a fast growing sport. The sport alternates between games of boxing and chess after each round – waiting for a checkmate or knockout to decide the match. A Chess Boxing match between two individuals lasts up to eleven rounds, starting with a four minute chess round and followed by two minutes of boxing.
2. Bossaball
Bossaball is spectacular new and unusual sports invented in Spain by Filip Eyckmans who developed the concept 2004. It is similar to volleyball, but also includes elements of football, gymnastics and capoeira. The game played on a specially designed inflatable court with a circular trampoline on each side of a net. It is a ball game between two teams, each consisting of 3 to 5 players.
1. Sports with no cloths
There is a lot of interest in people playing sport with no clothes on. Taking off your clothes to play some sports is not recommended. Also, watching it being played by some people may not be a good idea either. It is a social custom in most parts of the world for athletes to wear some clothing. Today, the main exception is in naturist-organised events, and some other events, such as the World Naked Bike Ride, in which people take part without cloths. There are also some cultures in the tropics today in which sports are played in the nude or partially nude. Some of most popular events in naked sport are the “international Alps Adria Meeting”, “International Nudist Swimming Gala” , “International Naturist Sports Week” , “Roskilde Festival” etc..
Hope you enjoyed the list of top 10 unusual sports around the world you’ve probably never heard of. How many of you have heard or played such kind of sports? Have a read and tell us in comments. We’ve some other great lists on sports also. You may also like; top 10 toughest running competitions.