7 Strangest Sports You Didn’t Know Existed

It’s one thing being a sports fanatic and knowing about every sport and it’s another thing trying your luck gambling in Ontario trying to make some quick bucks. But, push aside the mainstream sports like football and cricket, did you know there is a strange sport called “Wife Carrying?” And, the sport is just what the name highlights. The players lug their wives on their shoulders and race to the endpoint.

Sounds interesting and strangely weird at the same time, doesn’t it? Well, that is exactly why you need to know about some of these strange sports that take place around the world.

• Lawn mower racing

Looks like a lawn mower does more than just trim the grass and weed from your backyard. However, in lawn mower racing, the sportsperson uses a modified lawn mower instead of a standard one that you find in your home. These modified mowers feature dual power functions that cut the grass and allow people to ride and race on them.

The Twelve-Mile 500 is a popular lawn mower racing tournament that is held every year on the Fourth of July in the USA. This kind of race is popular across American states like North Carolina, New Mexico, etc.

• Chess boxing

Before you think we have mixed two sports, we haven’t. Chess boxing is a popular and registered game that gained popularity from its comic representation in 1992. Following its growing popularity in the comic form, it inspired a popular Dutch performance, which led to the incidence of the real-life version of the games.

In this game, the players get against each in 11 rounds – six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. The one who manages to checkmate their opponent is the one who wins.

• Cheese rolling

A very popular sport in Gloucestershire, England, Cheese rolling involves the people rolling down the slide of a hill for a wheel of cheese. Surprisingly, this 200-yard race has a lot of risks to one’s life as people barrel down the hill to get hold of the artisanal double Gloucester cheese. 

The sport isn’t continued across the countries anymore due to the increased crowds and the risks of injuries that were very potent in the candidates. However, it is still held privately in certain parts of the world.

• Bubble soccer

Inflatable bubbles that you often find in swimming and rafting games are often used in bubble soccer too. In this sport, the players squeeze their upper body into an inflatable bubble and then go on the field to play a normal game of soccer.

The first game of bubble soccer happened in Norway in 2011, which is where it gained popularity. It isn’t a global sport. The tournament is played between two teams with a maximum of five players each and at least one female in the team.

• Single bamboo drift racing

A popular sport in Southwest China’s Guizhou province, the players stand atop a 20 feet bamboo pole and use it as an oar in the race. The game tests the patience, strategies and balance of the participants throughout the game.

Although the sport isn’t very popular outside of China, it still deserves a mention on the list. Also, to make the sport more sustainable, the bamboo poles are now replaced with fiberglass poles to make the game attaining and eco-friendly.

• Toe wrestling

We have all heard of thumb wrestling that we played as a kid. But, did you know that there is a similar version of the game that involves toes. In this sport, two opponents sit facing each other with their legs stretched out. They interlock their toes and the game begins. The game came into prominence in 1974 at a pub in the U.K.

Surprisingly enough, toe wrestling isn’t a passing hobby. Instead, it is played as a tournament and Mick Dawson is the very first winner as recorded.

• Sheet counting

Do you remember that old wive’s tale our mothers used to tell us to be able to sleep earlier? Count sheep to 100 and you will fall asleep. Someone took that idea and turned it into a sport. Before you laugh thinking it is an easy sport to play, let us break your misconception.

The first tournament of this sport was held at Australian Outback in 2002. It involved over 400 sheep and 10 participants. The contestant with the closest or most accurate estimate for the counting was the one who won the tournament.

These are a few of the strangest sports available around the world. The list is a lot bigger than what we have mentioned here. Also, despite their strange rules and expectations, some of these sports are played as tournaments, which indicate that they are more than a mere time pass or hobby. How many of these did you know of?