Do you think you know all the sports enjoyed by people across the world? Yes, soccer and basketball are most certainly popular in a vast number of countries. Then again, cricket and rugby may seem exotic to people elsewhere. Still, some other sports are downright unbelievable and even hilarious.
1. Sepak Takraw
If you like volleyball, but want a version with more action, then Sepak Takraw is the answer. Played in South East Asia, a softwood ball is moved across the net by opposing teams with their knees, feet, chest, and head, but not their hands. Competitions of the sport are held in over a hundred different countries. The game even has a governing body, the International Sepak Takraw Federation.
2. Underwater Football
This is another version of American football; only it’s played underwater. The game was first played in Canada in 1967. Five team players on each side play in a swimming pool wearing snorkeling equipment. The aim of the game is for one of the two teams to get the weighted football to opposing ends of the pool to score. Players can go up for air, but never while the ball is in play when the player with the ball must be completely submerged.
3. Chess Boxing
In the game of chess boxing, the players require both brains and power to compete. Chess boxing is played in 11 alternating rounds of chess and boxing between its two competitors. Each round lasts three minutes. The idea for the game was born in a French comic, was then adapted as an art performance. From there, it grew into the competitive sport we know today. It is popular in Russia, India, Germany, and the UK.
4. Man vs. Horse Marathon
In arguing about whether a man or horse is more likely to win a marathon, Welsh pub patrons were why the man vs. horse marathon even started. At the time, Gordon Green’s landlord decided this was a challenge worth testing, and the 22-mile race (35.4 km) was established in 1980. The race occurs in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, every June, but there are other similar races in Scotland, New Zealand, and Arizona. The eligible price for a human win is $40,000 and has only been claimed twice so far in the history of the race.
5. Wheelbarrow Racing
Kenya’s conservation efforts are behind this bizarre race called “To Hell’s Gate on a Wheelbarrow.” This is also the name of the magnificent game reserve where the annual race is held. Since the race was first started in 2009, it has become famous and is considered one of the wildest races globally. The wheelbarrow race is run on a 7km track that holds many obstructions, including water pools.
6. Wife Carrying
Wife carrying first started in Finland. The abductions of local women were widespread there. Since then, it has evolved into a popular sport with participants being two people, not necessarily a husband and wife. Teams from the U.S., Germany, UK, Australia, Estonia, and Ireland participate in the World Wife Carrying Championship.
7. Extreme Ironing
One of the dullest household tasks was enlivened by the inventor of extreme ironing, Phil Shaw from Leicester. Participants get to iron their clothes at some of the most extreme locations, including while skydiving, on the edge of a cliff, and anywhere else deemed exciting and daring.
8. Tuk-Tuk Polo
As the name suggests, Tuk-Tuk Polo is based on the popular game usually played on horses. Invented in Sri Lanka in 2016, the game is seen as a replacement for elephant-back polo. The games were discontinued after an elephant ran into a crowd.
Each team has two Tuk-Tuks on the field, with two team members on each one. The one player is the driver, responsible for steering the vehicle, and the other is the player striking the ball. There are two goalposts on a field that is the same size as a standard polo field: the only exception – smoother surface, an allowance for smoother driving.
9. Kabbadi
Kabbadi may be the national sport of Bangladesh, but we are sure you have probably never heard of it since it isn’t a mainstream activity. It is described as a combination of tag and bullrush, just more hectic. The game has ancient origins and is also very popular in India and Pakistan. Two teams of seven players aim to send one player, known as a “raider,” into the other teams’ court. The player seeks to tag out as many of the opposing team as possible before returning to their side. Of course, the opposing team must try to stop the raider. Teams score according to tagged and tackled opponents.
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