13 Unpopular And Weird Sports In The World

Throughout history, humans have been known to engage in a wide variety of sports and physical activities. While some of these sports, such as soccer, basketball, and football, are well-known and widely played, there are weird sports in the world that people rarely know about.

These sports, often known as “niche” or “alternative” sports, can range from the bizarre to the hilarious, and they have a rich and fascinating history of their own. Let’s have a look at some of the most unpopular sports in the world.

1. Ostrich Racing

At the top of the list of amusing sports stands ostrich racing, known for its absurdity and entertaining appearance to the audience. With roots dating back to 1890 in Florida, this sport is said to have existed in South Africa even before that time. 

In this sport, participants ride on ostriches and attempt to stay on as the bird races down a track. 

How to Win:
Stay on the ostrich for as long as possible and cross the finish line without falling off your birds. 

Rules:

• No external aids are allowed to control the bird.
• Participants must wear protective gear due to the speed and unpredictability of the ostriches.

Ostriches can reach a maximum speed of 43 miles per hour, making it a common occurrence for riders to fall off and for the bird to continue running without them.

2. Wife Carrying

Originating in Finland, wife carrying, also known as ‘eukonkanto’ in Finnish, is a unique obstacle course competition where male competitors carry a female throughout the entire race in one of three ways: piggyback, a fireman’s lift (over the shoulder) or Estonian style (the wife hangs upside down with her legs around the husband’s shoulders). 

The annual Wife Carrying World Championship is held in Sonkajarvi and attracts competitors from around the globe. 

How to Win:
The fastest couple to complete the obstacle course wins.

Rules:

• The wife must weigh at least 49 kg; if not, additional weight will be added.
• The husband can carry the wife using one of the three accepted methods.

The winners are awarded with the wife’s weight in beer, five times her weight in cash, and an entry into the World Championship.

3. Cheese Rolling

Cheese Rolling is one of the most unpopular sports in the world. The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, an annual event in Gloucester, England, has a history dating back to the 19th Century or earlier. The competition involves chasing an 8-pound round of Double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill. 

How to Win:
The first person to reach the bottom of the hill and cross the finish line wins the cheese. 

Rules:

• Competitors must chase the cheese but not physically catch it.
• No intentional blocking or interference is allowed.
• Helmets are encouraged due to the dangerous slope.

In 2010, due to safety concerns, the official event was canceled after a large turnout of 15,000 people in 2009, but it has been held unofficially ever since.

4. Toe Wrestling

You may be familiar with arm wrestling and thumb wrestling, but have you ever heard of toe wrestling? The sport originated in Staffordshire, England in 1974 as a way to create an English world champion in a sport. 

The World Toe Wrestling Championships are held annually at the Bentley Brook Inn, in Fenny Bentley, England, and the reigning world champion of toe wrestling is Alan “Nasty” Nash.

How to Win:
Pin the opponent’s foot for a minimum of three seconds before your own foot is pinned. The winner proceeds to play the next opponent. 

Rules:

• Shoes and socks must be removed.
• Players can only use one foot at a time.
• Opponents face each other across the “toedium” and link toes until one is pinned.

Makes sense to be in the list of the weird sports in the world, right?

5. Extreme Ironing

This is not your traditional ironing. Extreme Ironing takes the household task to a whole new level. In this unconventional sport, participants iron clothes on a full ironing board while engaging in other extreme sports. 

Competitors take their ironing boards to remote locations, such as the top of a cliff, a beach cave, or while participating in other sports, including skiing, canoeing, and even underwater. 

RELATED ARTICLE: Bizarre Weddings! 15 People Who Married Objects

The sport originated in England, though its exact origins are debated. Some claim it began in 1997 when a Leicester resident, Phil Shaw, wanted to go rock climbing but needed to do some chores, and brought his ironing board with him. Others claim the sport started over a decade earlier in 1980 by an Englishman named Tony Hilam, who sought to make a performance art piece of ironing in unusual locations.

How to Win:
The winner is selected on the quality of the ironing and the creativity of the location. You will win if you manage to perfectly iron garments without a single wrinkle at the most extreme location.

Rules:

• The ironing board and iron must be full-sized.
• Size of the garment should not be smaller than a tea towel.

If you want to finish your chores while living on the edge, this is one of the interesting sports to try.

6. Bog-snorkeling

Bog Snorkeling is one of the lesser known sports that began in 1976 in Llanwrtyd, Wales, resulting from a casual conversation in a bar. In this sport, participants don wetsuits, snorkels, and flippers and compete to swim through a bog, which is a wet and muddy marshy area, without using traditional swimming techniques. 

The Bog Snorkeling Championship is held annually in August in Waen Rhydd, Wales. 

How to Win:
Complete the 180-foot bog course in the fastest time.

Rules:

• You must rely on flipper power to swim. No conventional swimming methods are allowed. 
• The course consists of two laps, totaling 360 feet.

The current champion is Neil Rutter, with a time of 1:18, while the female champion is Paddy Lambe, with a time of 1:19. Along with competing for the fastest time, participants can also be awarded prizes for the most creative or wild costumes at the competition.

7. Chess-boxing

Ever have a frustrating experience playing chess that made you want to take out your frustration physically? Look into Chess Boxing! As the name suggests, it’s a combination of chess and boxing, designed to be a comprehensive workout for both the body and mind. 

How to Win:
Competitors win by either winning the chess match, winning the boxing match, or by the judge’s decision.

Rules:

• Competitors alternate between three-minute boxing rounds and four-minute chess rounds.
• The chess game lasts for a total of nine minutes.
• Players can win through either game.

Chessboxing was created in 1992 by Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh. In chess boxing, participants engage in alternating rounds of chess and boxing against a single opponent.

8. Shovel Racing

Shovel racing is a peculiar sport that has been deemed one of the most unusual sports of all time. It involves using a shovel as a sled, instead of a traditional sled. Like many other unusual sports, it originated from practical origins. Ski resort workers found that riding on their shovels allowed them to move quickly from one point to another.

To increase speed, competitors often wax the underside of their shovels. At peak speed, shovel racing competitors can reach up to 70 miles per hour.

How to Win:
Reach the bottom of the slope the fastest.

Rules:

• No external steering mechanisms allowed.
• Competitors must remain seated on the shovel throughout the race.

In 1997, shovel racing was even featured in the Winter X Games. However, due to safety concerns, it was not included in future events.

9. Underwater Hockey

Another one of sports you never heard of is underwater hockey. Also known as octopush, this sport is played at the bottom of the swimming pool. It was invented in the 1950s by the British navy to train their divers. This strangest sport requires players to wear snorkeling gear, gloves and fins and play hockey on the floor of the pool. 

The goal of the players is to pass a weighted puck and navigate it underwater to score a goal. A metal tray sits at the bottom of the pool at both ends for each team to score a goal. 

​​How to Win:
Score more goals than the opposing team by pushing the puck into the opponent’s goal.

Rules:

• The puck must remain underwater at all times.
• Players can only hold the stick by its  handle.
• Players cannot touch the punk by hand 

10. Cycle Ball

Cycle call is truly one of the most uncommon sports in the world. It was introduced in 1883 by American artistic cyclist Nicholas Edward Kaufmann.

In this, contestants play football on bicycles. Like regular football, cycle ball too has two teams but each team consists only of two players. Players control and maneuver balls using their bikes. 

How to Win:
Score the most goals by controlling the ball with your bicycle.

Rules:

• Hands can only be used for goalkeeping.
• Players can use their heads to control the ball.
• Players must show with the front or back wheel 
• Players cannot touch the floor 

The most successful cycle ball team was of the Pospíšil brothers who have won twenty world championships. 

11. Bossaball 

Next one on the list of weird sports in the world is bossaball. Founded in Spain, this sport takes inspiration from the concept of volleyball. But there’s a twist—players are supposed to jump on a trampoline instead of being on the ground. 

Like volleyball, there is a net in the center of the court with two small trampolines on both sides of the net. The goal is to make the ball reach the other side of the net. Players can use any part of their body to do this but they must do this in no more than five passes. 

RELATED ARTICLE: The Rarest And Strangest Items Sold In An Auction Ever

How to Win:
The team that makes 21 points first wins the first set. The match contains 3 such sets.

Rules:

• Players can use any part of their body to hit the ball.
• Players are not allowed to touch the net
• At least one body part must be on their own side of the net.

Music is a big part of this sport, making the entire experience all the more enjoyable and entertaining. 

12. Ferret Legging 

Ferret Legging is one of the obscure sporting events that literally sounds made up. In this, participants put two ferrets inside their pants and tie their pants shut from the ankles so that the ferrets can’t escape. 

How to win: 
The person that successfully keeps both the ferrets inside the pants for the longest time wins! The “sport” originated in the United Kingdom and became popular in the 1970s. The current record for ferret legging is 5 hours 30 minutes. This can without a doubt be the world’s weirdest sport set by a 67-year-old retired teacher in 2010.

Rules: 

• You cannot wear underwear
• You must be sober
• Ferrets cannot have their teeth filed
• Married men must get permission from their partners

These rules and just the entire concept in general makes ferret legging among the weird sports in the world.

13. Earpull 

Ear pull is a traditional Inuit sport played to test the strength of players and their ability to endure pain. In this competitors sit facing each other with their legs connected and a string looped around their ears. The only goal of the same is to pull the string from their ears till one of the players gives up. 

It is played in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics and is a crowd favorite. It’s played in rounds of three where the ears are alternated after each round. 

How to win:
The string must come out of the other player’s ears from a contestant to win. 

Rules:

• The string must be looped around both competitors’ ears.
• The match is played in three rounds, alternating ears each time.
• The first competitor to pull the string off the opponent’s ear wins.

It is one of the weird professional sports in the world that has now thankfully stopped due to safety concerns.  

These unconventional sports may not be as widely known or played as traditional sports, but they are no less fascinating or entertaining. Each one of these weird sports in the world has its own unique history and culture, and they continue to captivate audiences around the world.