If the concept of Olympic breakdancing has made many in the USA take a step back and scratch their heads, it’s time to put things in perspective with a review some of the other wild and completely real sports being contested today.
And let’s get one thing straight at the outset: The world of sports is not only wide, it’s just downright weird.
Canal Jumping (or Canal Vaulting): Fierljeppen, the Dutch sport of canal jumping, involves an athlete getting a running start and then leaping onto a pole (on a hinged and weighted base) that is in the middle of a canal. The athlete then has to shimmy to the top of the pole in time for it to fall forward (not backward) and deposit the athlete as far onto the opposite bank as possible. Here are some videos.
Ostrich Racing: This one is contested in the good old USA, as well as around the world. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. By the way, ostriches can run at nearly 45 mph, about the equivalent of the speed of a thoroughbred horse in a race. Chandler, Arizona and Virginia City, Nevada have famously well-attended events.
Cheese Rolling: It’s a British sport, and an official extreme sport with injuries like broken bones being commonplace. A judge sets a wheel of cheese at the top of a hill and people race it down. According to CheeseRolling.com, “Four adults and four children were zapped by lightning when a sudden thunderstorm interrupted the 1982 cheese roll. However, as soon as the rain cleared, the racing resumed. Runners aren't the only ones at risk; bystanders have also been hurt-by out-of-control runners, but more often by bouncing cheeses. What became known as the Cheese Chase Chaos of 1990 racked up 22 casualties, including a 59 year-old grandmother knocked out by a cheese.”
Russian Slap Fighting: Athletes take turns slapping one another as hard as they can across the face. The fight continues until someone gets knocked out, is too concussed to continue, gives up – or is told by the refs to quit. It’s contested in Russia, but other events have been held in areas of the U.S., including Branson, Missouri.
Fireball Soccer: Known in Indonesia as sepak bola api, fire soccer is just regular soccer except the ball is a coconut soaked in gasoline and set on fire. Players have bare feet. Heading is allowed. Watch it here.
Beer Mile Running: Beer mile races. They’re not just for St. Patrick’s Day anymore. The premise, which involves the dubious combination of speed running and speed drinking, is simple. Make a lap around a track, and with each lap, drink a beer. The runner with the fastest time (and no, ahem, digestive incidents) wins. The official site is here.
Ear Pulling: Ear pulling is essentially tug of war, but with a twist (and that's just truly an understatement): There is a cord, similar to waxed dental floss, tied around each competitor’s ear, and they have to pull against one another until the cord breaks or comes undone – or one competitor gives up from the excruciating pain. Injuries, including those requiring stitches, are common. The event is featured in the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and stems from an ancient Inuit ritual designed to teach the participants how to endure pain.
Chess Boxing: This is a hybrid sport combining, yes, boxing and chess. And participants need to know how to do both well or they won’t last. According to Chess.com, athletes play alternate rounds of rapid chess and boxing until one of them wins in either discipline or when their opponent resigns.
Underwater Hockey: Just like regular hockey except, well, on the floor of a pool. Players carry a stick (about 12” long) and wear masks and fins, but not oxygen tanks. They also wear head protection (either the same type used in water polo or the same type used in wrestling), gloves and a mouth guard.
Cycleball: Since playing soccer with a flaming ball wasn’t strange enough, you can also play soccer on a bicycle. There are two players on each side and the field or court (it is usually played indoors) is approximately the size of that in half-court basketball. Oh, and there's also unicycle basketball.
Extreme Ironing: We have Wikipedia to thank for this one. Extreme ironing (also called EI) is an extreme sport in which people take ironing boards to remote locations and iron items of clothing. According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau, extreme ironing is "the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt." The photos alone on EIB’s Facebook page are worth the click.
And that is certainly not all. Bed racing, oil wrestling, unicycle polo and many others (including the Cardboard Tube Fighting League) are currently being contested around the world.
In fact, the IOC’s list of recognized sports federations includes those for bridge, tug of war and chess. But not chess boxing.
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