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SPORTS

14 of the most unusual sports

played around the world
Courtney Verrill Mar 5, 2016, 7:56 PM ET

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Toe wrestling. Darren Staples/Reuters

Many sports, such as baseball and volleyball,

are known around the world. But not many
people know about the more unusual sports —
like toe wrestling, for example.

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Although they may seem bizarre, some of

these sports are taken pretty seriously. Some
odd sports, such as wife carrying, even have
World Championships.

These sports may be strange and hard to

believe, but that's what makes them so great
and hilarious.

Below are some of the most unusual sports

from around the world.

Ostrich racing originated in Africa

and eventually made its way over to
the US. Ostriches can reach a
surprising speed of 43 miles an
hour, and their legs can reach up to
16 feet in a single stride. During a
game of ostrich racing, people sit on
ostriches and race them around a
track.

Ostrich racing. Joshua Lott/Reuters

As its name might suggest,

chessboxing is a combination of two
traditional sports: chess and
boxing. The game alternates
between serious games of chess
and intense rounds of boxing.

Chess boxing. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Underwater hockey is exactly what

it sounds like — a game of hockey,
but underwater. It was invented in
the UK in 1954.

Underwater hockey. Peter Komka/Ap Images

In the very disturbing game of toe

wrestling, two people lock feet and
battle with their toes, attempting to
pin each other's foot down.

Toe wrestling. Darren Staples/Reuters

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Zorbing is the act of racing in a

large, transparent ball down hills,
through water, or other obstacles.

Zorbing. David W Cerny/Reuters

Shovel racing, which involves sitting

on a shovel and racing down an icy
hill, made its way to the very Nrst
Winter X-Games in 1997. There was
a hectic crash that severely injured
a competitor, which meant that
shovel racing's Nrst X-Games
appearance was also its last.

Shovel racing. Ints Kalnins/Reuters

Sporthocking, also known as

extreme sitting, began in Germany.
The sport uses a specialized stool
to perform tricks — much like
skateboard tricks — and land in a
sitting position on the stool.

Extreme sitting. Thomas Peter/Reuters

Wife carrying originated in Finland

and made its way to North America
in 1999. The sport involves a man
carrying a woman — who are not
required to be legally married — on
his back, running through obstacles
along the way. If the man drops his
partner, their team must add Nve
seconds to their time. The team who
Nnishes the course with the fastest
time wins.

Wife carrying. Herb Swanson/Reuters

Elephant polo is just like regular

polo, except on an elephant — it
even requires the same equipment.
This sport is popular in Nepal, India,
and Thailand.

Elephant polo. Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters

Cycleball is a competition between

two teams of two, played on
bicycles with no breaks. Their goal
is to get the ball into the goal using
only their wheels and their heads.
Players are allowed to use their
hands on defense, but not on
o[ense.

Cycleball. Victor Fraile/Getty Images

Sepak takraw, which originated in

Asia, is like volleyball, except the
players must use their feet to get
the ball over the net. Players are
allowed to use any part of their
body to keep the ball in the air,
except for their arms or hands.

Sepak Takraw. Reuters Staff

Source: Sepak Takraw

During cheese rolling, a large

cheese wheel is rolled down a steep
hill, and competitors race after it.
The Nrst person to make it down the
hill wins the cheese.

Cheese rolling. Darren Staples/Reuters

Dog surNng involves canines

hanging ten with their owners. More
intense dog surNng involves the
dogs doing tricks while their owner
stands on the board, as pictured
below.

Dog surfing. Jason Reed/Reuters

Quidditch started out as a Nctional

game for wizards in the popular
"Harry Potter" series. Fans loved
the idea of quidditch so much that it
soon became a real sport played
internationally. A team is made up of
seven athletes who must play with a
broom between their legs at all
times. It borrows elements from
rugby, dodgeball, and tag.

Quidditch. Scott Audette/Reuters

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