Top 6 Weirdest Sports in the World

Sport history is as old as humanity; we enjoy going out in the open air, kicking a ball, shaking a bat or racket, or dealing with physical activity and competition. The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece in 776 BC. The athletes were cheering the audience them while wrestling, throwing, jumping and running to victory and audience were applauding the athletes. Since then, when we think of international sports, we tend to turn towards the Olympics. We also enjoy watching cricket, football and baseball on an international level. However, there are also lesser known, strange sports that make international championships every year, attracting competitors and viewers around the world. Some of these sports will wonder how popular they have become.

Ostrich Race

Ostrich races started in Africa and is a long-established pastime in many African countries. Sports have been popular in Florida since the 1890s and a theme park in Jacksonville is said to offer visitors an ostrich. International Camel and Ostrich Races have been held in Virginia City, Nevada for nearly 60 years. Large non-flying birds run like horses. Riders keep the birds on the track at speeds of up to 69 km (43 miles) per hour. Birds are said to be much more difficult than a horse, and many “spills” are expected on the race track. They can also compete with a car and harness running in front of the track at the jockey.

Co-Transport

The sport where the spouses moved has appeared in Finland and has become an international competition. Competitors move their wife or female teammate along a disabled racecourse, the couple are completing the racecourse without foul as soon as possible.  The track, 831 ft (253.5 meters ) long, has two dry obstacle and a water barrier to navigate. Spouses are legally required to weigh at least 108 lb (49 kilograms ). However, if the partner has a weight lower than the required weight, an additional weight must be carried to increase the weight of the partner to the required weight. “Spouses” do not have to be legal partners of competitors; contestants can “borrow” a spouse from a friend or neighbor. The Estonian mode of transport is the most popular, although there is no restriction on the method of use. Spouse-carrying competitions are currently taking place in several countries and international championships have been held in Sonkajarvi, Finland since 1995. (The competition was only open to Finns from 1992 to 1994.) The current world record is 55.5 seconds.

Camel Wrestling

The sport of Turkish camel wrestling dates back several thousand years and provides Turkish tribes with Entertainment similar to European horse racing and cockfighting. Similarly, punters are given a parade before the competition to show camels’ strengths and courage. The competition begins with a warming female camel and two male camels first in parentheses and inevitably fight for a “prize”. The leading bull camels are specially fed to increase their weight and increase their chances of victory when they nip. Inevitably, a camel will run in and out while chasing for victory in the arena. The winner becomes the first camel if his opponent screams, falls or runs away.

Swamp Diving

To Swamp diving competition competitors try to swim a muddy, water-filled peat bog for two lengths using only the fins. The Snorkeller travels from around the world to the Welsh city of Llanwrtyd Wells to compete in the world championships. Contestants are only required to complete two laps of a 55-metre course, using only their winged legs. More serious athletes can opt for the Bog Triathlon, a lap through the swamp, a 19-kilometer (12-mile) mountain bike ride and a 13-kilometer (8-mile) run. The current swamp diving world record stands at one minute and 18.82 seconds. If you pass that, you’ll be happy as a pig in the mud.

Ferret  Run

It is believed that the ferret run came from miners in Yorkshire, North England. A show of endurance in which the poppies are trapped in the pants of the participants. The winner is the contestant who can hold his weasels in his pants for the longest time. It may seem relatively simple, but there are a few strange rules and the event is known to take several hours. The competition is open only to male participants. The contestants tighten their pants to their ankles and prevent the ferret from slipping. It is placed on each leg of a ferret pants and tightly attached to the upper part of the belt. The rules of the contest are that poppies should have teeth and should not be soothed and participants should not wear underwear. Competitors can only prevent ferrets from biting outside of their pants.  The winner is the ferret runner who has the longest standing in madness. The current ferret run is a world record five hours 30 minutes.

Cheese Rounding

The cheese rolling sport Gloucestershire originated in England. The extraordinary game is held every May as a local festival to celebrate the arrival of spring, and this extraordinary game dates back to the 1800s. The annual Cooper Cheese Roll, which is originally a local innovation event, now attracts participants from all over the world. Participants gather on a steep hill to chase down a 3.6-kilogram (8 lb) cheese wheel downward. The first person to cross the finish line wins the cheese. Cheese is released a second before the opponent start chasing.However, heavy cheese can go up to 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour, which sometimes causes injuries to the participants. Indeed, injuries are reported each year due to the fast spinning cheese wheel hit or rolling from a steep hill. If you prefer cheddar or brie over Gloucestershire cheese, it seems like you have spent a lot of effort.