UNUSUAL SPORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Many sports, such as football are known around the world. Although they may seem bizarre, some of these sports are taken seriously. Some odd sports, such as wife carrying, have World Championships. These sports may be strange and hard to believe, but that’s what makes them so great and hilarious. Below are some of the most unusual sports from around the world.

As its name might suggest, chessboxing is a combination of two traditional sports: chess and boxing. Chessboxing was brought to life by Dutch-born Lepe Rubingh in 2003. He was inspired by a graphic novel written by cartoonist Enki Bilal in 1992. The first chessboxing competition took place in Berlin in 2003. That same year, the first world championship fight was held in Amsterdam.

Underwater hockey is exactly what it sounds like — a game of hockey, but underwater. The British Navy invented underwater hockey in the 1950s to keep their divers fit and to improve their ability to move and work efficiently under water. The game came to Australia shortly after and has evolved into a fast, dynamic sport, played in more than 20 countries. The rules of underwater hockey are fairly simple. Basically it is a non-contact sport. That means a player cannot interfere with another player with their free hand. Every 2 years a World Championship is held around April or May. Every other year, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa compete in a Tri Nation Cup.

Underwater hockey is a great sport for all ages, shapes, and sizes. Shovel racing, which involves sitting on a shovel and racing down an icy hill, made its way to the very first Winter X-Games in 1997. It was invented in the 1970s by some super bored lift operators at a New Mexico ski resort located in the Rocky Mountains.

Wife carrying originated in Finland and made its way to North America in 1999. The sport involves a man carrying a woman on his back, running through obstacles along the way. If the man drops his partner, their team must add five seconds to their time. The team that finishes the course with the fastest time wins.