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The most obscure sports in the world.
Every individual across the world, no matter age, background, or nationality, shares one thing in common – the spirit of competition.
For most, at least in the world of sports, that comes out in the typical forms of games like soccer, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Others may take their shot at Olympic sports or extreme sports.
Some, though, take the path less travelled.
What are the most obscure sports in the world?
Competition can take many forms. Some of these sports listed in this piece date back centuries. Many are variations of popular games. Others seem to have been created out of pure boredom.
They are recognized sports, nonetheless, and enjoyed by athletes in different parts of the world. Here, we’ll dive into 21 of the weirdest sports you’ll ever witness.
Let’s start in Indonesia, where they play soccer with fire just for the fun of it.
Fireball Soccer
Fireball soccer, or Sepak Bola Api as it’s known locally, is played throughout many regions of Indonesia. Rooted within Islam tradition, it serves as a part of welcoming Ramadan.
The rules of the game mirror typical soccer. Heading, throw-ins, and tackles are all allowed. The thing that’s different? The ball is on fire!
Fireball soccer is played with a coconut doused in kerosene and set ablaze. Players often compete barefoot. To avoid burns, competitors are soaked in salt and non-flammable spices.
Historically, it was performed during ceremonies such as opening farmland or honoring the deceased. It does not seem to spread far beyond Indonesia. We’ll stick with the less extreme version of the sport!
Farmer’s Golf
Like the previous sport listed, Farmers’ Golf is a variation of the game typically played on the links. Born in Switzerland, it involves hitting a “Nousse” (ball) fixed on the end of a special railway (tee) with a three-meter-long flexible “Traf”(club).
The tension of the stick can propel the disc upwards of 180 MPH. While the premise is somewhat similar in terms of hitting an object as far as possible from the tee box, there are major differences.
It’s a team game. Opposing team members will look to intercept the drives on the other end of the playing course. The team with the longest shot wins.
Farmers’ Golf is often described as a mix between golf and baseball, which makes sense. It’s believed to be a forerunner to the sport’s modern style of play.
Wife Carrying
This one is relatively straightforward. It involves a group of men carrying their wives throughout an obstacle course that can include water and hurdles.
The sport involves both strength and endurance. It evolved in Finland, where it’s referred to as eukonkanto. The origins of the sport reference the legend of a Finnish robber whose gang would steal food and women from nearby villages.
It was formalized in 1992 and has since gained popularity in other areas, including the United States. The ultimate prize? The wife’s weight in beer!
Zorbing
Zorbing was created by a pair of brothers in New Zealand in the early 1990s. It involves getting into a 90km inflatable globe and running (or rolling) your way through a racetrack.
The sport expanded beyond New Zealand to reach Australia, the UK, Asia, and the United States.
Courses can be downhill, flat, and even in water. While there doesn’t seem to be any type of dedicated international championship at this point, it is recognized as a recreational sport throughout many parts of the world.
Cheese Racing
This is one you’ve likely heard of. A popular sport in England, videos of competitors tumbling down a steep hill to retrieve a nine-pound wheel of cheese surface annually.
The sport is extremely dangerous. Once you get moving, momentum will take you down the hill with little control of your body. Often, that results in gruesome falls and injury.
The first one to the cheese wins. Cheese rolling dates back to at least the 1830s, and maybe beyond.
Shovel Racing
Shovel racing is believed to have started in New Mexico in the 1970s, but was initially not a sport at all. Instead, it’s said that ski resort workers used shovels as sleds in order to get from place to place more quickly.
It eventually grew to great popularity. It even debuted at the Winter X Games in 1997.
Safety concerns later led to its removal from the Games. Riders can reach speeds of 70 MPH while sliding down snowy mountainsides.
Racers compete for the fastest time, using their shovels as transportation. The quickest time wins.
Pumpkin Kayaking
Giant Pumpkin Kayaking is pretty self-explanatory. Competitors hop in hollowed out pumpkins and trek across waterways to the finish line.
The sport is most popular in North America, with large regattas being held in both Oregon and Nova Scotia. It involves both ingenuity and skill on the water.
Participants are tasked with designing their own pumpkin “boats.” Events are held annually in the US and Canada. The racer that can stay afloat and finish fastest wins.
Pooh Sticks
Pooh Sticks may be the least extreme sport on the planet. There is no athleticism involved. Ther is little skill required, though some participants might disagree.
Since the mid-1980s, a world championship has been held on the Thames River in the UK. It’s origin dates back much further. You might’ve competed in this international sport during down time and had not a clue!
The rules are simple. Players drop a stick from a bridge and watch as they travel downstream. The stick that makes it to the finish line first emerges victorious.
Volcano Surfing
From the least extreme to one of the world’s most extreme sports, Volcano Surfing involves riding down the slopes of an active or dormant volcano using a specialized board.
Similar to snowboarding, the games take place on the side of a volcano rather than a wintery mountainside. Boards are typically made of metal or plywood in order to reduce friction and reach the highest speeds.
One of the most well-known locations for competition is the Cerro Negro in western Nicaragua. Its roots, however, go back to Hawaii more than 2,000 years ago.
There are certainly dangers. Competitors risk injury on top of breathing in volcanic ash, inhaling gases, and being hit with molten lava.
Caber Toss
Caber Toss has to be one of the most obscure sports in the world. It is also one of the most physically taxing.
A traditional Scottish competition, participants toss massive wooden poles in hopes of reaching the desired outcome. The “Cabers” can measure more than 20 feet long and weigh nearly 200 pounds.
Distance isn’t necessarily the most important factor. Instead, players attempt to flip the pole with it hitting in a 12 o’clock position (straight ahead). The idea dates back centuries, with the first Caber Toss in a formal Highland Games documented in the 1500s.
Limbo Skating
Limbo Skating mixes the popular party activity of limbo with roller skating, which is no shocker given the sport’s name. Participants skate under the limbo bar, which gets progressively lower as rounds continue.
The last competitor standing wins. The competition requires a high range of both balance and flexibility.
Limbo Skating has been recognized by the Guiness World Record Book. Times, distance, and clearance are all taken into consideration. While the exact origin is a bit unclear, it is practiced in various spots across the globe.
Extreme Ironing
This obscure sport was born in Britain in 1997. It’s a way to take a typically boring activity and make it much more interesting.
Extreme Ironing combines the daily household task with outdoor sports. Instances of ironing while rock climbing, scuba diving, skydiving, and snowboarding have all been seen in the past.
While bizarre, there is a bureau that oversees the sport, which has been part of world championship events like Extreme Ironing World Championships in Germany.
Sporthocking
Sporthocking is essentially skateboarding on a stool. While competitors aren’t moving in the typical sense on wheels, they combine aspects of board tricks before ending their runs by sitting on their chair.
Originating in the mid-2000s in Germany, participants will kick, flip, throw, and juggle their stools before attempting to being seated as if nothing happened.
Competitions are held in Germany and internationally, with events in places like Las Vegas and across Europe.
Bed Racing
Born in England, the first bed racers were members of the Army, Navy, and Marines in 1965. Now, the event is open to everyone.
The sport involves team members pushing an occupied bed throughout an obstacle course on their way to the finish line. The first to reach the end wins the race.
Beds must pass an inspection, and they’ll also need to float for the final stretch of the competition which includes crossing a 3km river.
While the most notable event is held in Knaresborough, contests are also held in places across Germany, New Zealand, and the US.
Milk Carton Regatta
Similar to the Beer Can Regatta, this odd sport revolves around building a boat completely made of milk cartons and racing across a designated waterway.
It started in Australia in 1980 and is still held annually. Those able to finish the race with the quickest time leave with a first place prize.
Shin Kicking
This, in my eyes, would be one of the most irritating sports to compete in on this list. Shin Kicking is just that. Players battle one vs. one in hopes of bringing their opposition to the ground.
Their arms are grappled on the upper body leaving only the lower limbs as weapons. The game combines wrestling and combat as competitors deal a barrage of kicks to opponents’ shins.
The sport originated in England in the 17th century. It was a popular event at the Cotswold Olimpick Games, which began in 1612 and continued until the 1850s. A tournament has since been held annually since the 1950s at the World Shin-Kicking Championships.
Octopush (Underwater Hockey)
Underwater hockey, or Octopush, was invented in the 1950s by the British Navy. It was used as a training exercise to keep divers in shape and fine tune underwater mobility.
Competitors work alongside teammates to push a puck through a goal with a short stick while wearing snorkels and fins. Its popularity has spread over the last 70 years.
To date, more than 40 countries participate in the sport across the world.
Lawn Mower Racing
This sport originated in the way you’d probably expect. Booze was involved.
It’s said that after a night at the pub in the early 1970s, a group of friends in Ireland developed the concept. There are differing accounts that link it to the UK in the 1960s.
Modified mowers race around a track. It’s wildly entertaining to watch.
The British Lawn Mower Racing Association was established in 1973. The sport made its way over the United States in the 1990s.
Toe Wrestling
This is a weird variation of arm wrestling developed in the UK in the 1970s. Again, the idea was drummed up by four pub goers after a night of imbibing.
Competitors remove socks and shoes, interlock big toes, and let it rip. Participants look to push their opponents’ foot to a barrier.
While it is one of the world’s most obscure sports, it can be rewarding. The World Toe Wrestling Championship are held annually in England. The winner in the video posted above banked around $6,500 for victory.
Gurning
Gurning may be the most bizarre sport on this list. The ugliest competitor wins!
The English tradition has roots that date back to the 1200s. The term “gurn” means grimace or snarl. Essentially, the participant that can make the most disturbing face wins.
An annual championship event is held Egremont Crab Fair in Cumbria, England.
Bird Calling
Bird calling is a popular activity throughout many parts of the world. For some, it’s become a competition.
At tournaments, participants can mimic their songs to judges in attempts to mirror particular avians. In some cases, the closest sound is awarded victory. In others, those that can identify the most species in an allotted amount of time win first place.