Technically speaking, the official definition of a “sport” is any athletic activity that requires ability or physical skills in a competitive nature. However, both abilities and skills have been loosely defined to create numerous “sports” all over the globe that may seem at least a bit odd or completely off the wall to outsiders who do not perform the activity. The players though are just as dedicated to these different sports as those who embrace more mainstream pastimes. Don’t knock them until you try them out for yourself! Just be careful not to hurt yourself in pursuit of these odd sports from around the world.
1.
Wife Carrying
How much do you trust your husband? Really trust him in a very literal sense rather than a romantic one? Not hypothetically, would you let him carry you upside down on his back through an obstacle course? The sport of wife carrying was first introduced to the world in Sonkajarvi, Finland where it was basically a joke as it was reminiscent of an ancient method of courtship where a man would run into the woman’s village to pick them up and carry them off. The primary objective is for a male to carry a female through a set course in the fastest time. Three “types” of holds are acceptable for the carrying aspect of the race—piggyback, fireman hold (basically a toss over the shoulder), or the very popular Estonian style (the woman hangs upside down on the man’s back by holding onto his waist with her arms and her legs around his shoulders). The Estonian style allows for more mobility and comfort as the woman doesn’t have to press around the throat of the man to properly balance and hold on, creating a more equitable division of labor in the race as the man gets increased maneuverability and can take in more air as he runs in compromise of the woman holding more of her own weight. It takes a great deal of practice as a team instead of the woman merely being yet another prop or obstacle.
2.
Chess Boxing
Chess boxing is a sport that is exactly what its name describes. It is a hybrid activity that combines both a game of chess and a boxing match in eleven alternating rounds of each activity with a one minute break between them. This combo-sport was began by a Dutch artist named Iepe Rubingh who arranged actual matches upon inspiration from fictional depictions by French comic book artist Enki Bilal. The two opponents that face off need to be skilled in both boxing and speed chess as a match can be won through domination in either activity or some combination—a knockout, checkmate, exceeding of the twelve minute limit on speed chess, or by judge decision. Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom all have relatively strong followings of this minority sport.
3.
Octopush/Underwater Hockey
As opposed to actual ice hockey where one of the primary goals is to physically attack members of the other team and give the crowds a thrill by drawing blood on the ice, octopush (also known as underwater hockey) is a non-contact sport. Two teams compete with each other on the bottom of swimming pools by pushing pucks along the floor of the pool with hand held size sticks that are basically the lower half of a normal ice hockey stick. The puck is pushed around to specially marked “goals” underwater. Snorkeling gear is the gear of choice for players to perform underwater without having to completely surface for air and to maneuver more agilely in the pool. It is a very popular sport in the countries of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
4.
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a very interesting contact sport that originated in India. Its name is derived from a Hindi word that means “holding of breath” and is generally chanted during the game. With a name like that, it’s easy to guess what primary skill is involved. However, to make the activity into an actual sport, holding your breath is not the only aspect of the competition. Kabaddi occurs on a field that is split in half with one team assigned to each side. Teams take turns sending a “raider” into the opposing team’s half of the field where he or she then wins points by wrestling or tagging members of the other team then tries to return to his or her original side of the field all while holding his or her breath. This sport is the national game of Bangladesh and the state game of several Indian regions including Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.
