Top 20 weirdest sports played across the world you should know
Sports have always been crucial to human culture, offering entertainment, a sense of community, and competition. While the world is familiar with mainstream sports such as basketball, football, and tennis, there exists a category of sports that venture into the bizarre and eccentric. Explore the weirdest sports played around the world.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Top 20 weirdest sports
- 1. Toe wrestling
- 2. Chess boxing
- 3. Wife carrying
- 4. Underwater hockey
- 5. Shovel racing
- 6. Fireball soccer
- 7. Extreme ironing
- 8. Quidditch
- 9. Man vs horse marathon
- 10. Cheese rolling
- 11. Baby race
- 12. Sporthocking
- 13. Gurning
- 14. Ostrich racing
- 15. Bird song contest
- 16. Limbo skating
- 17. Shin-kicking
- 18. Sepak takraw
- 19. Zorbing
- 20. Synchronised swimming
When creating this list of the top weirdest sports played worldwide, we used a combination of factors, such as the extent of oddness, audience appeal, rules and equipment used, and popularity in its place of origin and worldwide.
Top 20 weirdest sports
Humans have a wild and strange side to them—a mysterious, adventurous, and reckless side. This weird obsession with adventure and thrill frequently drives people to unusual sports. Here is a list of the top 20 weirdest sports in the world you should know about.
| Sport | Place of origin |
| Toe wrestling | United Kingdom |
| Chess boxing | The Netherlands |
| Wife carrying | Finland |
| Underwater hockey | England |
| Shovel racing | USA |
| Fireball soccer | Indonesia |
| Extreme ironing | Leicester, England |
| Quidditch | United Kingdom |
| Man vs horse marathon | Wales |
| Cheese rolling | England |
| Baby race | America |
| Sporthocking | Germany |
| Gurning | United Kingdom |
| Ostrich racing | South Africa |
| Bird song contest | Belgium |
| Limbo skating | Belgium |
| Shin-kicking | England |
| Sepak takraw | Malaysia |
| Zorbing | New Zealand |
| Synchronised swimming | Germany |
1. Toe wrestling
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Toe wrestling is a weird spin on classic arm wrestling in which participants interlock their toes and attempt to pin down their opponent's foot. Originating in the United Kingdom, the sport involves strength and skill and has acquired a devoted following of fans.
2. Chess boxing
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Chess boxing is one of the weirdest sports played worldwide. In this mind-bending sport, contestants rotate between chess and boxing rounds, putting their mental and physical abilities to the test. Chess boxing needs strategy, stamina, and the ability to overcome psychological and physical challenges.
3. Wife carrying
This sport is done in groups of two. Each team must include a man and a woman and compete in an obstacle race in the fastest time possible. The main challenge is that the male must carry the woman without causing her to fall. So, who would you trust to try this unusual sport?
4. Underwater hockey
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Underwater hockey, also known as Octopush, is played at the bottom of a swimming pool by players wearing snorkels and fins. The goal is to push a puck into the opponent's goal while navigating the underwater landscape. It's a challenging and thrilling sport that mixes aspects of hockey with freediving.
5. Shovel racing
This uncommon sport is similar to sledging, but instead of a sledge, a shovel is used. Shovel racing, like other weird sports, began when workers at a New Mexico ski resort in the 1970s used shovels to travel from one location to another quickly. It was once discontinued in 2005 due to safety concerns but resumed in 2010.
6. Fireball soccer
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Fireball soccer deserves to be on this list of the weirdest sports ever played because it is so strange that it almost defies belief. In this game, a coconut is drenched in kerosene and set on fire. The game begins with the regular soccer rules, and whoever scores the most goals wins.
7. Extreme ironing
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Participants in extreme ironing combine the monotonous act of ironing with extreme sports by taking their ironing boards to unusual and frequently dangerous locations.
The contestants attempt to iron their shirts in the harshest environments possible, resulting in a unique blend of domesticity and adventure. The best-ironed shirt wins the game.
8. Quidditch
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Quidditch was first popularised in the famous Harry Potter series. Players ride broomsticks and try to score points by hurling balls through hoops, all while following rules adopted from the books.
Despite its fantasy origins, Quidditch has to be one of the weirdest professional sports as it is recognised as a legitimate sport with organised leagues and competitions in the UK.
9. Man vs horse marathon
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This sport began in 1979 in Wales to resolve a bar debate over who would win a race between man and horse. Since then, Wales has hosted a 22-mile (35.4-kilometer) marathon race between horses and men. The horses have won most of the races, with men winning twice and taking home a $40,000 cash reward.
10. Cheese rolling
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This activity originated in England and is extremely popular there. This strange sport is a hill race where you must run after a 4.1-kg round of cheese. The goal is to catch the cheese, but given that it can reach speeds of up to 110 km/h, the most realistic goal is to be the first to get the hill's bottom.
11. Baby race
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The baby race has to be one of the funniest sports. Most of these races are held over a distance of around 10 metres, and just one rule applies: It is forbidden to be standing! Otherwise, this sport is a definite source of entertainment.
12. Sporthocking
Sporthocking is one of the weirdest sports that arose from the coattails of parkour. Sporthocking, which originated in Germany in 2007, requires contestants to complete a series of acrobatic manoeuvres and stunts while holding possession of a uniquely shaped bar stool.
13. Gurning
Gurning is one of many uncommon sports. Contestants take turns making the strangest or weirdest-looking faces they can. The winner is the individual who makes the most strangely obscure face. Interestingly, people with missing teeth are among the most successful people in the sport.
14. Ostrich racing
Source: Getty Images
Ostrich racing tops the list of funny sports. It not only sounds ridiculous, but it also looks hilarious. Competitors mount their ostrich and attempt to hold on while running down a track. Racing birds can reach speeds of 43 miles per hour. Interestingly, riders commonly fall off their mounts, and the birds continue running without them.
15. Bird song contest
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Bird singing contests could be one of the weirdest sports ever created. Not because it's risky or exciting, but because they're so insane they nearly defy explanation. The name is not a misnomer; this kind of odd sport is a competition to see which of the two birds tweets the most in a given period.
16. Limbo skating
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Limbo skating is one of the most unusual sports you may not have heard of. This game is precisely what the name implies: it combines limbo and skating. Competitors attempt to limbo beneath various obstacles while moving fast on roller skates. In 2021, a seven-year-old set a new limbo skating record of 13.74 seconds.
17. Shin-kicking
Shin-kicking is a peculiar British sport where players pad their legs with straw and attempt to kick their opponents' shins until one falls to the ground. Despite its harsh nature, shin-kicking has a long history in England and continues to be popular among competitors and spectators.
18. Sepak takraw
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Sepak Takraw is a type of volleyball that originated in Southeast Asia. Players use their feet, knees, chest, and head to hit a rattan ball over the net. It is played on a badminton-size court with two teams of three players each.
This game has gone global, with the International Sepak Takraw Federation staging championships with teams from over one hundred countries.
19. Zorbing
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Zorbing is one of the weirdest sports that was invented in 1994 in New Zealand. In this sport, you roll an orb downhill. The orb is made of translucent plastic and can glide through water and other barriers. Some consider it an extreme sport, while others consider it a leisure or team-building activity.
20. Synchronised swimming
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Synchronised swimming has to be one of the weirdest Olympic sports. The sport debuted in 1984 as a hybrid sport combining swimming, dancing, and gymnastics. Make fun of the sport all you want, but then try an elaborate performance in unison and underwater.
These top weirdest sports played worldwide provide insight into the innovative, unique, and occasionally bizarre side of human leisure activities. So, the next time you're looking for something unusual, consider exploring the odd realm of these weird pastimes.
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