Surprising and Odd Sports Played Around the World

The beauty of sports is that it can take practically any form. If you can make a game out of it, much less a competition, then really any kind of sport can be dreamed up. Most conventional sports take a similar form: either single or team players face off in a competition that tries to rack up points through goal scoring, run-hitting, or some other manner of measurement. Other competitions, however, take stranger forms. Some sports people play are common, while others are truly weird.

The weirdest sports in the world usually retain that sense of competition and point measurement. Where they differ, however, is the approach, environment, or objects required to compete. While some of the weirdest sports like chessboxing combine two well-known sports, others like zorbing involve the use of strange, absurd technology to play. In this article, we will explore 30 of the most absurd, unusual, or just plain weird sports that people actually play.

To compile a list of 30 of the most absurd, unusual, or just plain weird sports people actually play, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of sports and entertainment publications including Stayweird.com, RoughGuides.com, and HowStuffWorks. From there, we selected lesser-known sports with unique rules, match conditions, and other absurdity. After that, we confirmed aspects of each sport using sites like TopEndSports.com and Britannica.com.

When you run out of ideas, you can just combine two well-known sports. Take chess boxing, which alternates rounds of boxing with chess. It started as a way to blow off steam between two British brothers after boxing matches. Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh created the first official chess boxing event. Since then, it's grown into quite an official sport with matches occurring around the globe. The Wu-Tang Clan also paid homage to the sport with its 1993 song "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'."

Another one of the weird sports people play is face slapping. It's exactly what you think it is, two contenders slapping the life out of each other until one is knocked out or a judges make a victory decision. It became popular after UFC owner Dana White created the TBS program "Power Slap: Road to the Title," which gained enough viewers to return for its third season in July 2024.

Bossaball combines the best elements of volleyball, soccer, and gymnastics. The field of play involves a volleyball net, and two teams competing to ground the ball on the opposing side. As a twist, one player on each side stands on a trampoline. Any body part can be used to volley the ball, but only five body contacts are allowed before the ball must volley over the net. Since originating in Brazil in 2004, Bossaball has spread across the globe.

Four punters at a pub in Staffordshire, United Kingdom invented toe wrestling in 1976. Much like arm wrestling, toe wrestling involves two opponents locking toes and attempting to pin each other's feet to the floor. While it's one of the weird sports people play, it's also become a tradition in parts of England. Since 1994, The World Toe Wrestling Championship occurs annually in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.

While pictures of this strange German sport are scarce on the internet, it's simpler than it sounds. Sporthocking combines two very different activities–skateboarding and sitting down in a chair. Invented by German brothers Michael and Stephen Landschutz in 2007, Sporthocking makes an art of sitting down, be it flipping, juggling, spinning, or slamming your bottom into a chair. It's grown in popularity, however, as a German sports industry trade show nominated it for best new product in 2014.

South Africans Mark and John Collins invented 360ball in 1990. It involves two teams of two players hitting a ball off a convex disc in a 360-degree spread of play. While it's one of the weird sports that people play, it is intense, fast-moving, and requires strong athletic ability considering the game lacks an out-of-bounds zone.

Running a marathon remains an impressive, if arduous, task. Now combine long-distance running with a horse competitor and you have the Man vs. Horse Marathon. According to legend, pub owner Gordon Green overheard a man suggest that man was equal to any horse over a significant enough distance. In response, Green sought to test the challenge in a public event. While this weird sport that people play involves a shorter distance than a normal marathon, horses often best the humans. Though cycling was introduced into the sport in 1985, it took until 1989 for British cyclist Tim Gould to finally beat a horse.

Take old-school Greco-Roman wrestling, add some oil, and you have one of the weird sports people play. Unlike other entries on this list, oil wrestling stands as one of the oldest sports in the world. Since its emergence some 4,500 years ago, oil wrestling popped up in various Mediterranean cultures until it became a traditional Turkish sport. Even crazier, matches had no set duration and could last days. Finally, officials introduced a time limit to matches in 1975.

Another one of the weird sports people play is the Wheelbarrow Olympics. Not to be confused with human wheelbarrow races, where one person gets on their hands while the other steers them, Wheelbarrow Olympics use actual wheelbarrows. Each year, this "Olympic" event takes place in Hosszúhetény, Hungary. It involves contestants pushing people in wheelbarrows through obstacle courses, speed runs, and other tests of skill, balance, and dexterity.

Zorbing involves the use of a giant inflatable ball with a person inside navigating it. First mentioned in a Russian article in 1973, the British-based Dangerous Sports Club constructed a giant sphere for people to sit inside. It became standardized, however, after a New Zealand company created ZORB Limited, which began selling commercial spheres. The Oxford English Dictionary defines zorbing as "a sport in which a participant is secured inside an inner capsule in a large, transparent ball which is then rolled along the ground or down hills."

Much like face slapping, shin-kicking stands as one of the more brutal and weird sports that people play. The game is simple, kick your opponent's shin hard enough that they fall on the ground. It emerged during the British brand Cotswold Olimpick Games in 1612. Since then, the sport has grown into a pastime for Cornish farmers, functioning as a subset of Cornish wrestling. Though vicious, Shin-Kicking remains a popular sport in the UK with the World Shin-Kicking Championships drawing thousands of fans each year.

Though it's one of the weird sports people play, ostrich racing has a storied history in parts of Africa. Instead of racing with horses, people hop on ostrichs' backs and take off. In modern times, ostrich racing involves the use of chariot-like carts attached to the big birds. Compared to horses or even camels, however, ostriches are more unruly animals and require more attentiveness from riders. While it is practically nonexistent outside of southern Africa, ostrich racing occurs at The Ostrich Farm in Jacksonville, Florida, and the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler, Arizona.

The first World Bog Snorkelling Championship took place in 1985 amid the dense Waen Rhydd peat bog near Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales. Wearing traditional diving suits, masks, and snorkels, contestants swim two consecutive 60-yard bog trenches as fast as possible. Furthermore, contestants can't use traditional swimming strokes. Instead, they must rely on the power of their flippers to reach the finish line. Since its creation in 1976, thousands of people have attempted to break the bog snorkeling records. Currently, Kirsty Johnson holds the women's record at 1 minute 22.56 seconds, and Neil Rutter holds the men's record at 1 minute 18.81 seconds.

Unlike the other weird sports that people play, extreme ironing requires nothing more than an ironing board, an article of clothing, and sheer bravado. According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, it's "the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt."

As such, competitors take ironing materials to the most dangerous location they can find, be it the top of a mountain or the bottom of a lake, and iron-press a shirt. Leicester, England resident Phil Shaw invented the sport in 1997 as a way to combine the drudgery of ironing clothing with the excitement of his rock climbing hobby. Since then, people have found more and more dangerous places to get their clothes looking fresh and starched.

Imagine soccer or rugby, now give each side padded swords or foam blackjacks and you have Jugger. Unlike the other weird sports people play, Jugger takes its inspiration from the 1989 film "The Salute of the Jugger." Originally the film's stunt coordinator Guy Norris and writer-director David Webb Peoples created the sport. Its transformation into a real sport, however, happened independently in countries like Germany, Australia, and The United States. Since then, it has grown a fair bit, with dozens of countries getting in on the sometimes silly, sometimes violent action.

After people in Darwin, Australia came up with the beer can regatta, southern Australian residents grew jealous and created their own version in the form of the Milk Carton Regatta. Much like the Darwin version, the Milk Carton Regatta involves a simple boat race with a boat made entirely out of milk cartons. They come in every shape and size, entering the race as long as they consist of milk cartons. Adelaide, Australia has hosted the annual Milk Carton Regatta since 1980.

Thanks to the unparalleled popularity of the Harry Potter franchise, its in-story sport of Quidditch has lept out of the pages and into the real world. Author J.K. Rowling first invented the fictional sport of Quidditch. From there, people started playing it at Middlebury College in 2005. In the game, two teams of seven players attempt to get the ball into the opposing side's hoops. Since humans have yet to figure out how to ride through the air on witches' broomsticks, real-life Quidditch involves players running around a field instead. To further separate it from the fictional sport, real-life Quidditch adopted the name Quadball in 2022.

Another one of the weird sports people play is Cycle Ball. It functions much like soccer, except each player rides a fixed-gear bicycle and attempts to move the ball down the field using only the movements of the bike. While feet can pedal the bike, they can't touch the ball. Instead, all play must involve hitting the ball with the bike or head, save for the goalie. American cyclist Nicholas Edward Kaufmann invented the sport way back in 1883. From there, it grew in popularity until the first World Championships occurred in 1929. After that, the sport migrated to Germany where it found its biggest group of supporters.

Whereas the other weird sports that people play require a bit of skill or bravery, Poohsticks functions more like a game of chance. Famed English Author A.A. Milne invented the sport for his son Christopher Robin Milne. From there, it came to prominence through Milne's beloved Winnie the Pooh series. The sport is simple: two people pick sticks and head to a bridge. There, they drop the sticks into the water and see whose stick reaches the other side of the bridge first. Though a very simple game, Poohsticks has grown into a beloved, if obscure, sport. Besides the annual World Championships, several Poohsticks societies have sprung up around the United Kingdom.

Lawnmower racing looks like it sounds. Take the high stakes and even higher velocity of a vehicle mud race and swap out the cars for supercharged lawnmowers. The sport emerged in 1968 when the Ashton on Mersey Cricket Club hosted the "Lawn Mower Grand Prix" to benefit beloved cricketer Ken Higgs. Since then, it has grown into a popular racing sport with competitions occurring across the world between increasingly souped-up lawnmowers. The competition has even extended to include racing styles like the grueling "12-hour endurance race."

Don't be confused by the name, as Goanna Pulling has nothing to do with the Australian lizards called Goannas. Instead, Goanna Pulling involves a tug-of-war-like match between two contestants. The only difference, however, is the contestants are attached by the neck. To win a Goanna Pulling match, one must simply use all their neck power to pull the opposing side across the middle line. It functions similarly to the Japanese neck-pulling sport of Kubihiki. Since 1985, the Australian National Goanna Pulling Championships have been held in Wooli, New South Wales Australia.

It seems like you can take any two sports and combine them, much like Unicycle Hockey. The name pretty much tells you all you need to know, it's a version of hockey where players ride unicycles. The only difference is there is no dedicated goalkeeper position. Instead, one player usually hangs back to cover the goal. Though Variety Magazine first mentioned the sport back in 1925, it didn't become standardized until the 1960s. From there, various clubs sprung up in the United States and the United Kingdom dedicated to the carefully balanced hockey hybrid.

In recent weeks, dog surfing has gone viral thanks to cute and funny clips of dogs hitting tubular swells. The sport is much older than that, however, as the first instance of dog surfing occurred in the 1920s. For their part, dogs take well to different types of sports training including skateboarding, and surfing is no exception. These days, various dog surfing competitions take place along the California coast, at certain spots in Florida, and along the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Shovel Racing traces its roots to New Mexico in the 1970s. Before Damien Deleon was officially credited with the sport's invention, ski resort workers often used shovels to get from one ski run location to another. The premise is simple: a rider sits on a shovel facing the handle, leans back with their feet pointed forward, and races down the ski slope. For its novelty, shovel racing once saw inclusion in the Winter X Games. Officials banned it in short order, however, citing safety concerns. Even still, racers brave the slopes on custom-painted shovels to this day.

Another one of the weird sports people play is bed racing. It involves a team of six players holding a bed on wheels, with another player getting to lounge back in the bed. The bed must also be able to float for the aquatic part of the competition. The annual Knaresborough Bed Race in Knaresborough, Yorkshire has occurred since 1965. While the first race only allowed members of the Navy, Army, and Marine Core, the competition has since widened to include anyone willing to race. Plus, you're required to decorate your racing bed as per the competition's theme of the year.

To complete a wife-carrying race, a contestant must hold a woman over his back or shoulders and race through a specially designed obstacle course in the fastest time possible. As for the holds, contestants are allowed to choose between a fireman's carry, an Estonian-style carry where the woman is upside down, or a classic piggyback. Called Eukonkanto in its native Finland, the sport springs from a legend about a robber who would kidnap women from the towns he was burglarizing. Since being formally introduced in Finland in 1992, the sport has spread across the world.

Those little rubber torpedos kids play with in the pool have some potential after all. Take the Underwater Torpedo League, for example. It involves two teams plunging a rubber torpedo underwater and navigating it into the opposing team's goal. Reportedly created by two Marines, underwater torpedo games require incredible athleticism and lung capacity. As such, many NFL players take up the sport as a training method for professional football.

While many people play weird sports, none are as dangerous as fireball soccer. The premise is simple; set a ball on fire and play a match without getting horrifically burned. It's not just a daredevil's pastime, however, as the sport traces its roots to Indonesia and East Java. Functioning as both a test of a student's mettle and a welcome celebration for the month of Ramadan, fireball soccer requires a coconut soaked in kerosene. It's ritualistic, too, as players fast for days beforehand, get covered in salt and non-flammable spices, and play a soccer match using only their bare feet. Other pre-game rituals are said to make players impervious to the flames.

There are many weird sports out there that people play, but cheese rolling might be the most well-known. To play, contestants chase a 7-9 pound cheese roll down a steep hill, often falling spectacularly in the process. The cheese, however, plays an arbitrary part in the game as the winner is whoever gets over the finish line first. Thought to be over 600 years old, cheese rolling has become a time-honored, if bloody, tradition in Gloucester, England. Each year, Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake attracts thousands of tough competitors and curious onlookers alike.

Also known as cross golf or street golf, Urban Golf is like normal golf except it's played on the street in urban areas. Instead of normal golf balls, however, players use anything from tennis balls to whiffle balls and try to hit objects around town. German golfer Torsten Schilling popularized the sport after forming the Natural Born Golfers group in Hamburg, Germany. Since then, the sport has grown, spreading to various locales including Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California.