Some of the world′s strangest sporting events | All media content | DW | 21.06.2022

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Sports

Some of the world's strangest sporting events

Mud diving, carrying women, trash-can races – people can become surprisingly inventive when left with too much time on their hands. Here are some of the more usual sports people actually engage in.

  • A goalkeeper stands knee-deep in mud.

    That sinking feeling

    If this goalkeeper were well over six feet tall, he might be able to reach the high balls. But as a keeper in mud football or swamp football, you are bound to sink well into the pitch. This sport was invented in Finland, a country with no shortage of swamps. The world championship has been held there since 2000.

  • A competor at the World Bog Snorkeling Championships in Wales

    Murky waters

    This trench in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales is where the World Bog Snorkeling Championships have been held since 1985. It is 55 meters (180 feet) long and each swimmer must complete the length before returning to the starting point. Record time so far: 1:18 minutes. Many of the divers take considerably longer to complete the course. That's not so bad, mud is supposed to be good for the skin.

  • Young men roll down Cooper's Hill

    Life and limb

    Anytime you see thousands of people risking life and limb by hurling themselves down a slope, it means the cheese race is on again at Cooper's Hill. They've rolled a round of cheese down the slope every year for the past two centuries. The idea is to try to catch the cheese before it hits the bottom, but this is almost impossible to do. The winner is the first person to reach the bottom.

  • A splashdiving competitor hits the water

    Backside first!

    While the high diver dives into the water delicately and without much splashing, the splashdiver sets out to do the exact opposite. The aim of the exercise: The backside must be the first body part to touch the water. Since 2006, there has even been a splashdiving world championship.

  • Heikki Aaltonen of Finnland tosses a Welly

    Welly toss

    The beauty of some sports lies in their simplicity. In this case, you simply take a Wellington boot and toss it as far as you can. The men's world record, which currently stands at 68.03 meters, is held by a Finn. Perhaps this should come as no surprise as Finnish sailors are said to have engaged in the activity as long ago as the 19th century.

  • Two competitors carrying their wives

    Not across the threshold

    In wife carrying, participants have to complete an obstacle course as quickly as possible while – as the name suggests – carrying a woman. The woman carried must be at least 17 years old and weigh 49 kilograms (108 pounds). However, it doesn't have to be your own wife. According to the rules, you can also carry your neighbor's wife or a woman you've simply "picked up" somewhere.

  • The two sides engage in a match of Royal Shrovetide Football

    Aiming for an own goal

    Since the 12th century, every year during carnival, the inhabitants of the two halves of the village of Ashbourne, England, have competed against each other in Royal Shrovetide Football. The ball must be maneuvered from the center of the village, which is divided by a river, into a team's own goal. There are hardly any rules apart from a ban on killing anyone.

  • Three garbage can jockey race down a hill

    Poor man's F1

    These death-defying racers plunge down the incline reaching top speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour) clinging to household garbage cans. According to the rules, the garbage cans used must be clean, empty and odor-free.The 120-liter residual waste garbage can is the most popular among racers.

  • Two competitors in chess boxing at the chess board

    Brawn and brains

    Chess boxing is an odd combination: Two combatants alternate between playing chess and boxing until one wins by checkmate or knockout. A winner can also be decided by a time penalty as in regular chess or a decision on points in the ring if the two play to a draw in the chess portion of the competition.

  • Participants race in the High Heel Run in Madrid

    High heel sprinting

    Walking on high heels is difficult enough to begin with. Sprinting on them is an entirely different matter. It all started with major department stores staging high heel races as publicity stunts. Now they are regular features at Pride events or on the fringes of marathons. Presumably the participants' feet will be thankful that this is a sprint and not a marathon.


  • A goalkeeper stands knee-deep in mud.

    That sinking feeling

    If this goalkeeper were well over six feet tall, he might be able to reach the high balls. But as a keeper in mud football or swamp football, you are bound to sink well into the pitch. This sport was invented in Finland, a country with no shortage of swamps. The world championship has been held there since 2000.

  • A competor at the World Bog Snorkeling Championships in Wales

    Murky waters

    This trench in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales is where the World Bog Snorkeling Championships have been held since 1985. It is 55 meters (180 feet) long and each swimmer must complete the length before returning to the starting point. Record time so far: 1:18 minutes. Many of the divers take considerably longer to complete the course. That's not so bad, mud is supposed to be good for the skin.

  • Young men roll down Cooper's Hill

    Life and limb

    Anytime you see thousands of people risking life and limb by hurling themselves down a slope, it means the cheese race is on again at Cooper's Hill. They've rolled a round of cheese down the slope every year for the past two centuries. The idea is to try to catch the cheese before it hits the bottom, but this is almost impossible to do. The winner is the first person to reach the bottom.

  • A splashdiving competitor hits the water

    Backside first!

    While the high diver dives into the water delicately and without much splashing, the splashdiver sets out to do the exact opposite. The aim of the exercise: The backside must be the first body part to touch the water. Since 2006, there has even been a splashdiving world championship.

  • Heikki Aaltonen of Finnland tosses a Welly

    Welly toss

    The beauty of some sports lies in their simplicity. In this case, you simply take a Wellington boot and toss it as far as you can. The men's world record, which currently stands at 68.03 meters, is held by a Finn. Perhaps this should come as no surprise as Finnish sailors are said to have engaged in the activity as long ago as the 19th century.

  • Two competitors carrying their wives

    Not across the threshold

    In wife carrying, participants have to complete an obstacle course as quickly as possible while – as the name suggests – carrying a woman. The woman carried must be at least 17 years old and weigh 49 kilograms (108 pounds). However, it doesn't have to be your own wife. According to the rules, you can also carry your neighbor's wife or a woman you've simply "picked up" somewhere.

  • The two sides engage in a match of Royal Shrovetide Football

    Aiming for an own goal

    Since the 12th century, every year during carnival, the inhabitants of the two halves of the village of Ashbourne, England, have competed against each other in Royal Shrovetide Football. The ball must be maneuvered from the center of the village, which is divided by a river, into a team's own goal. There are hardly any rules apart from a ban on killing anyone.

  • Three garbage can jockey race down a hill

    Poor man's F1

    These death-defying racers plunge down the incline reaching top speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour) clinging to household garbage cans. According to the rules, the garbage cans used must be clean, empty and odor-free.The 120-liter residual waste garbage can is the most popular among racers.

  • Two competitors in chess boxing at the chess board

    Brawn and brains

    Chess boxing is an odd combination: Two combatants alternate between playing chess and boxing until one wins by checkmate or knockout. A winner can also be decided by a time penalty as in regular chess or a decision on points in the ring if the two play to a draw in the chess portion of the competition.

  • Participants race in the High Heel Run in Madrid

    High heel sprinting

    Walking on high heels is difficult enough to begin with. Sprinting on them is an entirely different matter. It all started with major department stores staging high heel races as publicity stunts. Now they are regular features at Pride events or on the fringes of marathons. Presumably the participants' feet will be thankful that this is a sprint and not a marathon.


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