Do you consider yourself knowledgeable about sports? Soccer, football, rugby, tennis, swimming, and running are all well-known sports, but cheese rolling and chess boxing are less so.
Anything can become a sport if you put in the effort. It may not be featured in the Olympics, but the Discovery Channel can certainly cover it.
There are over 800 weirdest sports played around the world, and you’ve likely never heard of at least half of them. We certainly hadn’t!
We are most familiar with the most popular and well-known ones, which are frequently seen on television or included in the Olympic Games. However, some of the most odd sports are rarely covered in the news. It’s time to change it.
Curious to learn more? Keep reading because we’ve gathered 18 of the funniest and weirdest sports you’ve never heard of from all across the world; some of them are extremely bizarre.
1. Fireball Soccer
There is just so much you can do to enhance soccer. Or so you might suppose. Meet Fireball Soccer, a game where players use coconut balls! These coconut balls are submerged in gasoline for roughly a week before the match to make them easier to ignite during the game. And if playing with a rough, real fireball wasn’t intense enough, it’s done sans shoes!
2. Wife-carrying
Although the exact roots of this contest and Finnish tradition are unclear, each story involves stealing. And we’re not kidding; this event has been running strong since 1992! Participants can carry their (or their neighbors’) wives through an obstacle course using piggyback, fireman’s carry, or Estonian style. And the prize: the wife’s weight in beer. The lady is thrilled, and the male receives the beer—it doesn’t get any better than this.
3. Haka Pei.
This dangerous race started on Chile’s Easter Island. Young individuals, often under the age of 20, race down a volcano’s edge on a sled fashioned of two banana tree trunks, wearing just a loincloth. When they careen down the steep hill, they frequently reach speeds of around 50 mph, which can result in significant damage.
The sledder who travels the farthest from the launch location is proclaimed the winner. Haka Pei was previously used to assess young people’s maturity and fortitude as they prepared to enter adulthood.
4. Shovel Racing
This sport, which involves racing down an ice hill while sitting on a shovel, was introduced at the first Winter X Games in 1997. Competitive shovel racing began in the 1970s on New Mexico’s ski slopes. Apparently, it began when ski resort staff used shovels as sleds to quickly move from one location to another.
5. Cheese Rolling
Cheese rolling could be one of the most esoteric sports in the world. Every year, at the end of May, grown adults, mostly males, gather in a village in England to chase a rolling nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill. Several individuals have been seriously injured over the years as a result of the hill’s steepness and unevenness, as well as the size and speed of the cheese itself.
As a result, the cheese show lost its “official” management and organizers. However, because the villagers are so proud of their long-standing tradition, the rite continues every year.
6. Zorbing
Zorbing is essentially rolling down a hill inside a large, clear plastic ball. Zorbing is most enjoyable on a gentle slope, but it can also be done on a level surface, which gives the rider more control over the ball. You can also zorb on water! Although it might get claustrophobic and hot in there, it is a lot of fun.
7. Dog Surfing
Doggie surfing has attracted the imagination of many internet users. It started in San Diego and has quickly spread throughout America and Australia. To participate, you must teach your dog to ride the waves on a surfboard alongside you while keeping upright.
And, given how much effort it takes for a human to comfortably stand on a surfboard, teaching your dog to do the same may not be an easy task.
8. Camogie
Men call this age-old sport hurling, while ladies call it camogie. It was initially played in Ireland 3,000 years ago. Hurley is a field sport played with a small, hard ball (sliotar) and a wooden stick (hurley). The sliotar can only be run with if it is balanced or bounced on the hurley, and the ball can be hit from both the ground and the air.
Camogie may be one of the most physically demanding sports there is. Even the youngest players take pride in their bruises!
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9. Giant Pumpkin Kayaking
Giant Pumpkin Kayaking is essentially the sport of kayaking inside a giant, hollowed-out pumpkin. The most famous race is held on Lake Pesaquid in Nova Scotia during the annual Windsor Pumpkin Regatta.
The route is half a mile long, and contestants typically decorate their pumpkins with paint and flags. Definitely something to do on Halloween, but only in warm climates, because otherwise—brr!
10. Sepak Takraw
Sepak Takraw’s direct translation is “kick ball”. It’s a unique blend of football and volleyball, with martial arts elements reminiscent of scenes from The Matrix. Teams on each side of the net can only score points by placing the ball on the opposing team’s side without using their hands. Does that sound complicated? Indeed, it is.
11. Bossaball
Although it originated in Brazil, the sport quickly gained popularity in Spain. It is loosely modeled after volleyball regulations and incorporates elements of soccer and gymnastics. Except for the trampoline portion, which elevates this sport to new heights of enjoyment. Quite literally.
12. Tuk-Tuk Polo
It is now possible to play traditional polo with horses and elephants. However, it may now be played in a tuk-tuk! Tuk-tuks (shown above) are popular modes of transportation in Thai cities. Tuk-Tuk polo was invented to replace an older variant played on elephant backs, which was discontinued in 2007 after one elephant went on a rampage. Tuk-Tuk polo, like other game varieties, aims to kick the ball through the goalposts as many times as possible.
13. Australian Rules Football
As the name implies, the game is played in Australia, with 18-player teams facing off on a large oval field. According to Australian rules, football is a full-contact sport that is not for the faint-hearted. A match consists of four twenty-minute quarters, and the scoring system is as strange as the game itself.
There is a lot of explanation, so this is a game you have to see to believe. However, simply watching one game may not be enough to fully comprehend the rules.
14. Quidditch
For those of you Potterheads, this is a dream come true! Quidditch is a fictional game for wizards. However, because so many Harry Potter fans were attracted by it, they made it a legitimate sport. Seven people create a team and play with a broom held between their legs. Quidditch mixes aspects of rugby, dodgeball, and tag.
15. Running Of The Bulls
The Running of the Bulls takes place in Pamplona, Spain, during the hot summer months. The “fun part” consists of people fleeing in front of six bulls set loose in the town’s streets for the occasion. If you are an adrenaline junkie, consider participating. However, between 50 and 100 injuries are reported each year. Dress code: all-white with a red scarf (Pañuelico) and waistband.
16. Caber Toss
Caber Toss can be traced back to Scotland, when people learned that throwing large wooden poles a long distance was a lot of fun. The frosting on the cake is that players must wear kilts. That is not an issue for Scots, and we applaud them for it!
17. Limbo Skating
In the unusual sport of “limbo skating,” athletes attempt to limbo beneath various obstacles, such as bars (often put on fire) or cars, while on roller skates. The flexibility needed to pull this off is astounding. In 2022, a 17-year-old broke the limbo skating record, slipping beneath 10 bars in 1.69 seconds. That happened so quickly!
18. Cycle-Ball
Cycle-ball, often known as “radball,” is a game played on bicycles that resembles football but uses bike wheels instead of legs. Each team consists of two riders who ride a fixed-gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel. Except for protecting the goal, only the bike’s wheels and head can be utilized to control the ball.
