Cheese Rolling (UK)
A traditional competition held every year on Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, England, in which a round wheel of cheese is rolled down the hill and participants chase after it, racing to catch the cheese or reach the finish line first. The slope is extremely steep and participants frequently trip and tumble down it, making injuries common. Its exact origins are unclear, but it is known to be a local tradition going back several hundred years.
Wife Carrying (Finland)
The Eukonkanto competition, held in the SonkajΓ€rvi region of Finland, involves carrying a partner β either on one's back or in a special carrying position β through an obstacle course. It is especially well known for the tradition of awarding the winner beer equal to the weight of their partner. Participants do not need to be an actual married couple, and similar competitions are now held in a number of countries around the world.
Chess Boxing
A hybrid sport in which rounds of chess and rounds of boxing alternate, and the competitor wins either by checkmating their opponent in chess or knocking them out in boxing. It was turned into an actual sport in the early 2000s, inspired by an idea from French cartoonist Enki Bilal's work, after which formal competitions and associations began to emerge, mostly across Europe. It is distinctive in requiring both physical ability and a cool, calculating mind at the same time.
Sepak Takraw (Southeast Asia)
A sport in which players use only their feet, knees, chest, and head β never their hands β to send a ball made of rattan or plastic over a net, often compared to "volleyball played with the feet." It has long been enjoyed as a traditional sport in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, and is now an official event of the Southeast Asian Games, with international competitions held actively.
Bo-taoshi (Japan)
A team sport that became famous as an event at Japan's National Defense Academy festival, in which the attacking team tries to knock down a long wooden pole defended by the opposing team, while the defending team must stop them. Played with dozens of participants colliding at once in a fierce team battle, it is also often featured in Japan as a highlight of school sports days and local festivals.
Underwater Hockey (Octopush)
A sport first devised in the UK in 1954, in which players wearing snorkels and fins push a puck along the bottom of a pool with short sticks, trying to score in the opposing goal. Because the game is played while holding one's breath underwater, swimming ability and lung capacity are important. After originating in the UK, it spread to a number of other countries, and international competitions are now held.
Extreme Ironing
An extreme sport in which participants compete at ironing clothes in dangerous or bizarre locations β mountain summits, underwater, or in the middle of a road β and it is said to have first begun in the UK in 1997. Although it looks comical at first glance, it often requires real extreme-sport skills such as mountaineering, diving, or skydiving, and it has developed a dedicated community of enthusiasts serious enough to hold international competitions.