25 Bizarre Sports You Probably Never Heard Of

Posted by , Updated on March 21, 2024

From ferret legging and chess boxing to wife carrying and extreme ironing these are 25 bizarre sports you probably never heard of.

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25

Chess Boxing

bizarre sports

For 11 rounds contestants alternate between chess and boxing. A victory can be due to knockout, checkmate, or judges decision.

24

Buzkashi

bizarre sports

Played on horseback throughout various parts of Asia, the goal of this game is to get the carcass of a headless goat across the other team’s goal line.

23

Kaninhop

bizarre sports

Also known as bunny jumping, this Swedish sport is basically Equestrian Show Jumping with rabbits.

22

Octopush

bizarre sports

It’s basically underwater hockey except instead of a stick you use a short blade.

21

Man vs. Horse

bizarre sports

This annual Welsh competition involves contestants racing through an obstacle course against horses.

20

Toe Wrestling

bizarre sports

If you can imagine a thumb war with your toes then you get the idea.

19

Bossaball

bizarre sports

Invented in Spain, this sport is basically volleyball on a trampoline.

18

Wife Carrying

bizarre sports

The objective is to complete an obstacle course while carrying your (or someone else’s) wife.

17

Camel Wrestling

bizarre sports

Although it has been criticized by some animal rights groups, camel wrestling is still a major past time in countries like Turkey.

16

Bellyflopping

bizarre sports

You’d be surprised how seriously some people can take this sport.

15

Bog Snorkeling

bizarre sports

Competitors race through a murky bog but they aren’t allowed to use their hands. It’s flippers only.

14

Roller Derby

bizarre sports

Played mainly by women, the goal of this sport is basically to lap the players on the other team. Apparently it almost made it to the Olympics recently.

13

Snow Polo

bizarre sports

Often played on frozen lakes, this sport started in Switzerland but has since caught on in other parts of the world.

12

Cheese Rolling

bizarre sports

Every year a large group of people chase a piece of cheese down a hill in Gloucester, England.

11

Ga-ga ball

bizarre sports

Allegedly started in Israel, this game is basically dodgeball but you can only hit players beneath the knees.

10

Bo-taoshi

bizarre sports

The name roughly translates to “pole-pulldown” in Japanese. With two teams of 150 people trying to pull down each other’s pole, things can get quite hectic.

9

Cardboard Tube Dueling

bizarre sports

Cardboard tube fighting is a real sport and the Cardboard Tube Fighting League is a real sporting organization.

8

Moustache Growing

bizarre sports

Although the sportiness level of this “sport” is debatable, purists claim that the difficulties associated with growing a winning beard are worthy of a spot on this list.

7

Pesapallo

bizarre sports

Also known as Finnish baseball, its basically American baseball with a cool name and a ball that is pitched vertically instead of horizontally.

6

Mountain Unicycling

bizarre sports

As if biking along deadly crevices with two wheels weren’t hard enough…

5

Kite Tubing

bizarre sports

With several deaths and numerous injuries recorded in the past few years, this sport might be even more dangerous than one-wheeled mountain biking.

4

Quidditch

bizarre sports

Part tag, part dodgeball, the snitch is actually a toy helicopter.

3

Ferret Legging

bizarre sports

The goal of this sport is to hold two ferrets in your pants for as long as possible. To beat the world record you’ll need to do better than 5 hours.

2

Shin Kicking

bizarre sports

Whoever concedes first loses. Simple enough.

1

Extreme Ironing

bizarre sports

You’re probably somewhat familiar with this one already due to recent guerilla marketing, but for those of you who don’t know, the goal is to basically iron in the craziest position/place possible.