Any, even the strangest, the occupation can easily be turned into the weird sports – this idea could become the motto of the International Federation of unofficial sports if one ever created. It would find a worthy place for all the funny and frankly stupid human fun, from eating hot dogs to speed and ending with racing on lawn mowers.
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In the world of sports, as in the rest of the world, the territory has long been divided. Football, hockey, tennis, basketball are the oldest leaders in popularity and financial power. Leading these sports federations sometimes gain power equal to the power of political parties, and players receive not only millionths of fees, but also worldwide fame. In their shadow, there are inconspicuous young sports that are making their first steps towards glory.
Some of them were lucky – after much thoughts, they were accepted into the elite: it happened with mountain biking and swimming in open water, beach volleyball and skeleton. These disciplines were not invented by superiors, but rose from below, thanks to the growing popularity among the masses. From the side, it may seem that a new sport has appeared out of nowhere, but in fact, the sports factory does not stop for a day. The game accompanies the world civilization throughout its history and, as noted by the Dutch researcher Johan Heising, is one of the forms of free human activity.
- Egg all-around/ weird sports
Origin. United Kingdom
History. In addition to football, tennis and other familiar sports, England is the birthplace of egg all-around. Whoever first thought about throwing eggs is not known, but the tournaments that have been held in the central counties of England for several decades have become national, and have recently received the international status.
These competitions are available for everyone, there would be eggs in the hand. Restrained Englishmen roll with laughter, looking at the athletes, on the head of which the yolks are interspersed with whites and shards of shell. Yes, and fun with eggs you can come up with a lot: they can throw at a mark, at a distance, you can put the egg in a spoon, take it in your mouth and run a race. But the most popular is the discipline, called for some reason the Russian roulette.
Rules. In the basket put six eggs – five hard-boiled and one raw. It is this that is considered a bat. Athletes sit opposite each other and alternately break eggs on the opponent’s forehead. The one on whose face the egg slug has flowed disappears from the game, and the winner goes into the next round – and so on until the final.
2. Throwing mobile phones/ weird sports
Origin. Finland
History. Who else but Finns had to invent this sport – after all, thanks to Nokia, the inhabitants of Suomi got mobile phones one of the first in the world! They are the same before others and tired of this blessing of civilization. When Russia was just beginning the fashion for mobile phones, the Finns already desperately wanted to throw them far away. In the late 1990s, the underlying negativism with respect to the fruits of civilization finally acquired the form of expression. Primitive but sincere way to relieve stress – telephone booth soon turned into a national sport and gained popularity in the neighboring countries.
Rules. To the organization of championships, the Finns came seriously. You can compete in individual or team competitions – as part of a men’s, women’s or junior team. Traditionally, the main criterion for estimating throwing is considered to be a range, but there are other categories, in particular, the judges evaluate the original style and artistry of the throw. Only branded phones are allowed to compete. To date, an absolute record in this sport belongs to Finn Mikko Lumpy – he threw his mobile phone at 94 m 97 cm.
3. Racing on lawn mowers/ weird sports
Origin. United Kingdom
History. Cutting a lawn is a sacred duty of any English landlord, a tradition handed down from generation to generation. To facilitate this hard work, lawnmowers were created. It was used by a group of young people who were looking for new and cheap entertainment. As the official story goes, in 1972 several young Englishmen sat in a pub and sipped a beer when one, Jim Gavin, said: “Each of us has a lawn mower – let’s race for them”. So there was the British Lawn Mower Racing Association. Later, the initiative of cheap motorsport was picked up by the Americans. Officially, the first race on lawn mowers was held on April 1, 1992.
Rules. The main thing is to remove all the blades from the machine. Thus, the tractors turn into mini-cars, and their price after all the improvements grows from $ 5 thousand to $ 200 thousand. True, manufacturers of garden tools are against the misuse of their products. Racers compete in four classes, differing from each other in the technical characteristics of the “bolides”: stock (16 km / h), imow (32 km / h), prepared (80 km / h) and factory experimental (96.5 km / h) . A prize may be a cup or a diploma. “We are transforming the economic work for the weekend into a competitive sport!” – says the motto of gas workers.
4. Single-wheel hockey/ weird sports
Origin. USA
History. A unicycle has been known for about a hundred years: before that, circus people performed in the arena. Today it is a sport popular with young people all over the world. Get on a unicycle and just skate, and arrange races and competitions. The game of hockey is one of the most intricate applications of this bike. Now, unicycle hockey is most popular in Germany and Great Britain.
Rules. Competitions, of course, are held on the site with a hard plastic coating, and not in the ice arena. The main resemblance to usual hockey is the gates and clubs. A dozen people, virtuoso controlling unicycles, manage to maneuver over the field and score goals, without colliding with each other. Hockey players on the ice have a lot to learn: the ban on fights with unicyclists is strictly observed.
5. Man versus horse/ weird sports
Origin. United Kingdom
History. Like many interesting stories, this one began with a beer mug. Once in 1980, the landowner Gordon Greene from the town of Lanreotide Wells heard a dispute in the pub of two men. One of them claimed that when running a long distance a person can outrun a horse. Enterprising Green decided to test this statement, and at the same time attract potential investors’ attention to their lands. So in the smallest town in England, the annual Marathon Man versus Horse was organized.
Rules. The distance of the Welsh marathon is 22 miles (42.195 km) and passes through the countryside along the fields, hills, streams and swamps. Take part as one person or a group of people. The horses compete with their riders. All make entrance fees, from which then the prize fund is formed. Twenty-four years in a row this money was won by a rider and a horse, however, to the joy of all humanity, revenge was taken in the twenty-fifth year of the existence of the marathon. In 2004, Briton Hugh Lobb overcame the distance in 2 hours 5 minutes and 19 seconds, for which he received 25 thousand pounds of prize money.
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6. Diving in the swamp /weird sports
Origin. United Kingdom
History. Restless Gordon Green wanted to glorify his town so much, that he invented another strange sport. In the early 1980s, he invited the inhabitants of Lanreotide Wells to drop complexes and splash in the mud who’s into that much. The idea was pleasant, and the diving championship in the swamp became an annual event, which attracts enthusiasts from Europe, the US, and even Australia.
Rules. Everyone can take part, the main thing is that they have a swimming mask, a breathing tube, fins and 15 pounds of initial payment. Athletes need to swim 60 m in a ditch, dug in the middle of the swamp and filled with mud. Dressed participants can be anything – even in a wedding dress, even in a wetsuit. But there is an age limit: athletes must be at least 14 years old. But the upper limit does not exist: one of the participants during the competition celebrated her seventieth anniversary. The old woman did not break the world record set by Miss Abigail James – 1 minute 57 seconds, but she got an unforgettable experience.
7. Wearing women/ weird sports
Origin. Finland
History. A wife is an excellent projectile to keep herself in shape. This simple thought occurred to the Finnish bandits in 1800. The chieftains’ heads sought to increase the fighting efficiency of their brotherhood, and the robbers had to prove what they were good at. As a kind of test for physical training, many chose the abduction of the bride. Over the years, from criminal circles, this occupation has moved into the world of sports. The World Championships for carrying wives have held annually in the Finnish town of Sonkajärvi.
Rules. The wife sits down to her husband’s neck, and he holds her tightly by the feet – 253.5 meters to be run with obstacles from water, sand, grass and asphalt. It is undesirable to lose your wife: even if she does not get injured, 15 penalty seconds will be exact. Wives must be at least 17 years old and not 49 kg lighter. Weights have to be especially slender. In addition to single competitions prizes are played in the team competition, where three men carry one woman in turn, as well as in a triathlon: you need to drag a lady to the hill, ride it on a mountain bike without a trunk and run a traditional distance.
8. Rock Paper Scissors/ weird sports
Origin. China
History. It turns out that the popular children’s game originated in the Middle Kingdom in the 17th century and was called the show shine – “command by hand”. Otherwise, the figures were also called: “ant”, “man” and “elephant”. The elephant crushes a man, a man presses an ant, and an ant bites an elephant. In Europe, this was first mentioned in the XIX century. There were several variations, the number of figures reached five, but later it was decided to limit to three: a fist (“stone”), exposed two fingers (“scissors”) and five fingers (“paper”). In the last century, Americans thought of hosting tournaments on this simple, but very exciting game. Over time, tournaments have become international and have acquired the status of a world championship. There is also the International Federation of Stone, Scissors, and Paper.
Rules. In an atmosphere similar to a boxing match, two athletes who are naked to the waist come out into the ring. Coming in the center of the “ring”, the participants put their fists and start the fight. The paper can be cut with scissors, but the scissors are powerless against the stone. But the stone can be wrapped in paper. Therefore, scissors are stronger than paper but weaker than stone, and the stone, in turn, is inferior to paper. Each of the signs wins one of the other two. Two players on the team judge show the figure. Who’s stronger, he won. And if the opponents showed the same figures, then welcome to the replay.
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