10 Weird, Obscure Sports You’ve Never Heard Of

We have all heard of basketball, soccer, rugby, baseball, football, and cricket. But aside from these and many other wildly popular sports, there are those that are just plain weird and unheard of.  But in the interest of brevity, we will only be discussing a fraction of the more weird and obscure sports.  Here is a list of ten of the weirder and more obscure sports that many of you have never heard of.

1. Extreme Ironing

Who ever thought that ironing could be turned into a sport? Well, someone did think of it and made it into a real and exciting event that has ironing-enthusiasts and thrill-lovers clamoring for more. So the way this sport works is that contestants, along with ironing boards, are brought to just about any location you can think of, and they IRON. Imagine doing this sport (or chore?) while riding a kayak across a raging river. Think about wiping out your competition while ironing in the dark recesses of a cave, the isolation of a deep forest, or the magnificence of a mighty waterfall. Sounds exciting? Well, you are not alone in thinking so.

2. The Ultimate Race with Cheese

Forget about racing with one another. That’s so ages ago! Try participating in the ultimate race with cheese. This particular game has you and a ball of cheese racing to get to the finish line at the bottom of a hill.  The objective of the game is to be the first among the participants to arrive at the finish line in perfect tandem with your ball of cheese. If you can manage to achieve that, then hats off to you! Spectators beware, though. A ball of cheese can cause injuries to a viewer, as what happened in a 1997 accident.

3. Man vs. Horse

As if racing with an inanimate object like cheese isn’t bizarre and challenging enough, another weird sports called Man versus Horse has come into the sporting scene.  Started by a pub owner from a Welsh town, the Man versus Horse sport was created to settle the argument between two patrons who were discussing who would triumph in a marathon – man or horse. So how does one win this game? Well, you have to match your power and speed to a horse’s by beating it in a 22-mile race to the finish line. Good luck with that one!

4. Wife Carrying

Know how husbands have to carry their wives through their home’s door when they first get married? Well, this game takes things a bit further than just that. All you have to do to be proclaimed the winner at this game is to quickly go through a specially created obstacle course while carrying your female partner the entire time. You better hope your partner doesn’t have a lot of extra fat hidden beneath those appealing curves.

5. World Beard and Mustache Championships

First held in the year 1990 in Höfen-Enz, Germany, this championship has risen in popularity over the years. Today, a great number of males with highly-styled facial hair get together every two years to try their luck at being declared champion in the four major categories of facial hair: full beard, partial beard, sideburn, and moustache. The last competition was held in Norway in 2011.

6. Cardboard Dueling

The word dueling typically brings to mind weapons that can do serious damage such as swords or guns. Yet, in this particular version of duels, cardboard swords are the weapon of choice. They can’t cause much harm, but they are still fun to duel with. The sport, based on an official statement issued by the Cardboard Tube Fighting League, was created to provide people more ways to engage in fun and play, without putting anyone’s well-being and health at risk. More power to you guys!

7. Bed Racing

If you want a game that combines speed, designing talents, and teamwork, then bed racing is probably the game you’re looking for. Competing teams consist of six contestants plus one on the bed, which must have four wheels, floats, and is decorated according to the chosen theme of the year. The three kilometer race, which also involves a river and a climb, will definitely be a great challenge. Originally open to only the Marines, Navy, and Army, the bed racing competition is now open to all.

8. Toe Wrestling

You’ve probably heard of and tried thumb wrestling, but have you given a thought towards toe wrestling? Well, you might be surprised to find out that this sport has been around since 1976, which is when the game originated in a UK pub called Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn. The objective of the match is fairly simple. The sport is much like arm wrestling, only one’s toe is used to beat the foe’s toe to the ground. The Bentley Brook Inn, found on the border between Derbyshire and Staffordshire, is the venue for the championship matches.

9. Chess Boxing

From the name itself, you can correctly assume that this weird sport somehow marries the two: chess and boxing. You’re probably confused as to how this one works. For starters, this French game alternates between the two. There is a maximum of 11 rounds, and the winner is determined by either a checkmate or a knockout. In case there’s a tie in the chess rounds, the boxing points earned determine the winner. On the other hand, if the fight is concluded by a tie, the fighter using the black chess pieces is declared the winner.  This is a pretty fast-growing sport with huge followings in major cities like Berlin and London.

10. Shin Kicking

This one sounds totally painful, but apparently, a number of people are really into it. Started by US immigrants from the UK, shin kicking is thought to be one of the ultimate tests of a person’s manliness. And although it sounds like there would be a lot of broken bones in this sport, there actually isn’t.  Participants are now required to wear soft shoes and stuff their trousers with padding.  Also, once you punish your shins enough, it will develop calcium deposits to protect your bones.  That’s why you see Muay Thai boxers kicking down trees.