Alex Carson
Competitions
People love competition. We love to watch two teams fight it out to see who will be the winner. It is even better when the underdog comes out of nowhere and takes it all. It is our love of competition that makes football, baseball, basketball, and even golf so popular. These are your typical competitions; however, there are some pretty strange ones. These are the wackiest competitions the world has ever seen.
Chess Boxing
This is a popular sport in the Netherlands. The boxers fight for three minute rounds. In between, they sit down to each play one move in chess. The boxers can win either by a knockout in the ring, or a checkmate.
Shin Kicking
In England, thousands of fans gather for a shin-kicking competition. The contestants wear white coats, and they kick one another until one gives up due to the pain. It is called martial arts, but in most parts of the world, it is called crazy.
Air Guitar Contests
Since 1996, residents of Finland has been either watching or taking part in air guitar contests. During round one, the contestants choose the song that they are going to “air rock out” to. During the second round, the judges choose the song.
Battle Of the Oranges
In Ivrea, a small town in Italy, participants are split into two teams. They spend the day hitting each other with over 500,000 oranges. It is a tradition that has been going on since the 12th century.
Cheese Rolling
There is an old tradition in England called cheese rolling. During the competition, a wheel of cheese is rolled down a hill. The participants chase the cheese, which leads to collisions, falls, and sprained ankles. The person who catches the cheese is the winner, and their prize is the cheese. It really doesn’t seem worth it.
Bo-Taoshi
In Japan, people play Bo-Taoshi. Each team has a pole, and they try to topple the other team’s pole. Ninjas can scale the poles while the team tries to keep it steady. This is a sport that is usually played by school children.
Baby Jumping
Residents in Castrillo de Murcia, a small town in Spain, take part in the annual Devil’s Jump. Babies are put on mattresses, and men dressed as devils jump over them. This is done to cleanse the babies of their original sin. It sounds pretty dangerous.
Finch Sitting
In Vinkensport, Belgium, Finch Sitting is a popular sport. Each competitor sits in front of a box that contains a finch. The object is to get the finches to make certain sounds during one hour. During the competition, the finches will make hundreds of calls.
Bossaball
Bossaball is basically extreme volleyball. The game is played on a huge trampoline. The first team to reach 25 wins. While flips are encouraged, they don’t earn you any extra points.
Car Curling
Car Curling is played in Russia, and it is an extreme version of curling in the Winter Olympic Games. The contestants push a car over the ice, trying to get it to stop in the target.
Wife-Carrying
In Finland, wife-carrying is a popular sport. Men put their wives, their girlfriends, or any female over their shoulders and carry them across an obstacle course. The winner earns their wife’s weight in beer.
Bog Snorkeling
In Whales, bog snorkeling is popular. The swimmers are equipped with flippers and a snorkel. They must swim through water-filled trenches, cut through a peat bog, fight plant muck, and they cannot use traditional swimming strokes. The fastest swimmer is the winner.
Worm Charming
In England, kids and adults take part in worm charming. The object is to dig up as many earthworms as possible. In 2009, a 10-year-old girl named Sophie Smith set the record. She dug up 567 worms from a 9-meter square in just 30 minutes.
Taser Ball
This game was once played in the United States, but due to the medical risks, it was outlawed. The competition required the contestants to try to put a ball in the goal without being stopped by the opponents’ tasers. Who would want to play this game?
Tuna Throwing
In Australia, people participate in the annual Tunarama Festival in Port Lincoln. They hurl rubber tunas in the air and the person who throws the furthest wins. Sean Carlin holds the record of 122-feet.
Ski Bobbing
In Austria, ski bikes were used to navigate the Alps. Today, they are used to shred snow.
Headstand Chugging
In the Czech Republic, there is a competition during Wonder Week where competitors do a handstand while chugging
Chili Pepper Eating Contest
In North Carolina, competitors eat different hot peppers that increasingly get hot. The finalists must finish an orange habanero.
Pig Feet Bobbing
Georgia hosts the Redneck Games. One of the events is bogging for apples. The winner gets a pig foot.
World Sauna Competition
In Finland, competitors sit in a 210-degree sauna. They road as long as they can, and the last person in the sauna wins. In 2010, a competitor died, and the competition was canceled.
Hurling
This competition is over 4,000-years-old. Two teams violently clash to send a cork ball into a goal. Due to the many injuries sustained, officials now require competitors to wear helmets.
Crab Racing
In Jamaica, people gather to watch the crabs race. It is boring and very slow, but people love it.
Buzkashi
In Afghanistan, this is a popular sport. The rules are the same as soccer, except they play on horseback, and instead of a ball, they use a goat carcass.
Ferret-Legging
This competition is popular in England, and it consists of competitors stuffing ferrets down their pants. The person who can stand the pain of the ferret scratching and biting the longest is the winner. After complaints from animal welfare groups, the competitions have been canceled.
