Quidditch

Quidditch is a sport made famous by the Harry Potter books, and involves a group of wizards flying around on broomsticks trying to get a ball through a hoop, while one person tries to catch the Golden Snitch to end the game. Real-life Quidditch teams, now known as Quadball teams, run with a broomstick between their legs instead, with the focus still being on trying to get a ball through a hoop in the opponent’s half.

Race Walking

Race walking is exactly what you’re probably expecting, a selection of athletes competing to win a race without breaking into even the lightest of jogs. Race walking has been an Olympic sport since 1932, and now includes a 20km and 50km race for men and a 20km women’s race.

Tug of War

Tug-of-war events involve two teams, each trying to pull the rope over to their side of the playing area. It is unknown exactly where the sport originated, but it has connections that date back to ancient China, ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. It was an Olympic sport for 20 years between 1900-1920, but has never made a return to the games.

Hobby Horsing

The most entertaining aspect of hobby horsing is seeing just how seriously the competitors take it. It works in a similar way to show jumping, although the real horses are swapped out for little wooden hobby horses, leaving competitors to jump over the obstacles with their own feet.

Arm Wrestling

We’ve all challenged a friend to an arm wrestle to prove who’s strongest. But did you know that you can take it up as a pro sport and get paid for it? The World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) hosts multiple tournaments in which the biggest and strongest armwrestlers sit down at a table and do everything within their power to defeat each other to win their share of the prize pot.

Tandem Racing

A bicycle made for two is synonymous with romance, and sharing a nice ride in the countryside with your significant other. However, tandem racing is also a sport – and a very high-octane one at that. With two cyclists giving it their all at the same time, tandem racers essentially have double the power of a single cyclist.

Solo Synchronized Swimming

The word synchronized in solo synchronized swimming is dubious, as there is nobody whom the solo swimmer can match their rhythm with. The sport is pretty much just ballet in water, which is impressive in itself, as it’s not easy to stay afloat while staying in time with the music.

Kabaddi

Kabaddi is an extremely cardio-intense sport, which has been traced back to indigenous Indians hundreds of years ago. The game is reminiscent of tag, with a team of raiders trying to evade a team of defenders while shouting ‘kabaddi’ the entire time. Once a raider is caught, they are out of the game.

Croquet

Croquet was once an Olympic sport, but in recent times, it has mainly been confined to being a slow-paced outdoor sport played by the older generation. It does have a professional association though, known as the WCF (World Croquet Federation), which takes care of the sport’s more high-profile events across the globe.

Face Slapping

Professional face slapping has experienced a bit of publicity in recent years, mostly because of its pure shock factor. Contestants stand directly opposite each other, and take it in turns slapping the living daylights out of each other until one of them is either knocked out or pulls out. It’s brutal, and one of those sports that leave you wondering why on earth anyone would want to take part.

Phonebooth Boxing

A major part of boxing is making the most of the space inside the ring, outmanoeuvring your opponent and dodging/blocking punches. Put two fighters in the confined space of a phonebooth, and you lose all three of those things, making the fight an out-and-out slugfest with very little tactical thought to it.

Balloon World Cup

The Balloon World Cup is an adaptation of a game that kids around the world play in their houses. That is, of course, stopping the balloon from touching the floor. The Balloon World Cup is a televised event, and is set up in a small arena with various obstacles that contestants have to work around. The winner is the last one to touch the balloon before it hits the floor.

Tag

Much like the Balloon World Cup, professional tag is an adaptation of a childhood classic, putting two competitors inside a small arena surrounded by obstacles, with the aim being to catch and tag the opposing player. It requires an amazing level of dexterity, quick thinking, and of course, the ability to sprint.

Extreme Ironing

Extreme ironing is classed as a sport because of the technical and physical attributes required to take part. It involves taking an ironing board and some creased clothes to the most daring, dangerous place you can think of, such as the side of a mountain or at the top of a tree, and completing the chore that could have been done in the safety of your own home.

Chess Boxing

Chess boxing began as a piece of performance art, but soon turned into a serious sporting spectacle, with two official governing bodies putting on events around the world. As you can imagine, the sport combines both chess and boxing, with matches featuring three minutes of boxing followed by a minute of chess, and so on.

Dressage

Dressage features consistently at the Olympic games, but it never ever feels like it should be there. The aim of dressage is to get your horse to do the best dance of all the horses, in front of an eagle-eyed panel of judges. It’s impressive that the riders have been able to train their animals to perform the dance moves, but surely there are more productive and noble things to do with a steed?

Bog Snorkelling

Bog snorkelling is an event that originated in Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales in 1976. It involves the competitor snorkelling and moving their way through 55 meters of peat bog, with the winner being the person who does it the quickest. The World Bog Snorkelling Championships take place every year on the UK’s August bank holiday.

Buzkashi

Buzkashi is the national sport of Afghanistan and involves two teams fighting to put a goat or calf’s carcass in the opposing team’s goal. To make things even more interesting, the two teams compete while on horseback. It is unsurprising that, despite Buzkashi being the nation’s national sport, the majority of Afghans prefer to play and watch cricket.

Underwater Hockey

Underwater hockey is not much of a spectator sport. It involves two teams trying to get a puck into each others’ goal, while staying underwater the entire time. It is surprisingly popular, played in over 30 countries, with a world championship even taking place every two years.

Wife Carrying

Wife carrying is a Finnish sport, which involves a male trying to get from one end of the course to the other in the quickest time possible, all while carrying his wife on his back. There are two dry obstacles and one wet obstacle that the pair must overcome if they want to achieve the fastest time.

Ostrich Racing

Although ostrich racing is an extremely bizarre sport, it has a rich heritage, with the first race dating back to 1890, in Florida. It involves humans getting on the back of ostriches and riding them towards the finish line. As you can imagine, the lighter competitors have an advantage, but only if they can maintain enough control over the bird to get it to run in a straight line.

Goanna Pulling

Goanna pulling is a one-on-one form of tug of war, where the competitors attempt to pull each other over the centre line. The big difference here though, is that the competitors aren’t pulling a rope, but rather a strap that is attached to both of their necks. It requires insanely strong neck muscles and a lot of mental fortitude too.

Caber Toss

Caber toss is a classic Highlands game, originating in rural Scotland. Competitors must throw a six-meter-long trunk of birch wood as far as they possibly can. It is as traditional as you’d expect, with huge, super-strong men in kilts taking part. The only thing missing is a bagpipe soundtrack.

Sepak Takraw

Sepak Takraw is a Malaysian form of volleyball, in which the two teams kick a small ball over a net, giving it everything they can to stop the ball from hitting the floor on their side of the court. It’s a wonderful watch, with athleticism, ball control and gymnastic-style maneuvers all on display.

Cycle Ball

Cycle ball is a variation of both futsal and handball, in the way that both teams must try to get a ball into the opposing team’s net while staying within the confines of an indoor court. The major caveat is that players are on bicycles, and they can only touch the ball with either their bike or their head. Unless they are playing in goal, where the use of hands is allowed.

Oil Wrestling

Oil wrestling dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, with competitors lathering themselves up with olive oil and taking part in a wrestling match. The oil makes the competitors very slippery, adding an extra dimension to the bout. Olive oil is also extremely good for the skin, so why not give it a go if you’re in need of a new skincare routine?

Cheese Rolling

Cheese rolling is an annual sport that takes place every year in Gloucester, England. It involves competitors chasing a roll of Double Gloucester cheese down a hill, with the person reaching the bottom with the cheese in hand being the overall winner. It’s a wonderfully British tradition, but it’s also very dangerous, with multiple injuries reported each year.

Unicycle Hockey

Unicycle hockey is similar to ice hockey, with players trying to use sticks to navigate a puck into the opposing team’s goal. The players are all on unicycles, meaning that they need great balance as well as great hand-eye coordination. Surprisingly, helmets aren’t a requirement, but is it worth taking the risk?

Shin Kicking

Shin kicking is pretty much the British kung fu, just without the discipline and technical skillset. Competitors will stand in a field or street, flanked by crowds of bemused onlookers, while they grapple and continually boot each other in the shin. While it seems distasteful and violent, the sport is usually good-natured, with competitors often embracing once the fight is over.

Limbo Skating

Limbo skating is a bizarre concept, but it’s extremely impressive, and very difficult to take your eyes off of. It involves a person on roller skates doing the limbo, but the pole is sometimes so low to the ground that the competitors have to do the splits just to get underneath it. It requires immense core strength, great balance, and the flexibility of a gymnast.

Dog Surfing

Dog surfing’s origins are thought to be either Hawaii or California and to be honest, both options are pretty believable. Dog surfing competitions involve humans surfing with their dogs sat on top of the board, with contestants judged on the size of the wave they tackle and the smoothness of the execution.

Far Leaping

Far leaping, or fierljeppen as it is also known, is similar to pole vault, but instead of aiming for height, the competitors are aiming to cover as far a distance as they can. The sport originated in the Netherlands, at a time when there weren’t enough bridges to cover the country’s many waterways.

Pumpkin Kayaking

Originating in Nova Scotia, Canada, pumpkin kayaking involves competitors rowing from one side of a lake to the other, while sat in giant pumpkins. The majority of the effort and preparation comes before the race, as those taking part must carve out their own pumpkin and make sure it is suitable to be placed on water.

Soapbox Racing

Soapbox racing involves small teams coming together to create their own little engineless vehicles, before racing them down an obstacle-laden course. Teams will often base their vehicles around a theme, even dressing up to completely look the part, with comedic but still impressive results.

Lawnmower Racing

Lawnmower racing originated in the southern states of the USA, as you’d have probably expected. Competitors race their sit-on lawnmowers around a track to see who is truly the fastest grasscutter in America. A lack of aerodynamics and engine power doesn’t make it the most exciting race to watch, but it does look fun to compete in.

Man vs Horse Marathon

The man vs horse marathon was created in a pub in Llanwrtyd Wells, the same small town in which bog snorkelling was dreamt up. The sport started in 1980, after an argument took place in a local pub. The owner of the pub wanted to put a debate to rest, as people had been arguing over whether humans were equal to horses over long distances.

Mud Pit Belly Flopping

Mud pit belly-flopping originated in the southern states of the US, and doesn’t involve a great deal of skill other than being able to toss yourself belly-first into a muddy puddle. It is part of the annual Redneck Games, an event where southerners compete in a variety of homemade, farm-based sports.

Rabbit Jumping

This is without a doubt the cutest entry on the list. Rabbit jumping, or Kaninhoppning as it is known in its native Sweden, follows the same formula as showjumping, or dog agility courses. The big difference is that competitors enter their rabbits into the competition.

Toe Wrestling

Toe wrestling was invented by two men in a pub, who were annoyed at the United Kingdom’s lack of general world champions. They decided to invent their own sport – which is pretty much thumb wrestling with toes – but dissolved the sport after a Canadian beat them at their own game. The sport has since had a mini-revival, with the annual Toe Wrestling World Championship recently making its return.

Urban Golf

Urban golf, you may be surprised to know, didn’t come to be too much longer after its father sport, golf. While it didn’t look the same back then as it does now, people began playing golf in built-up areas as far back as 1741. Competitors nowadays play with tennis balls, or other softer balls, in order to prevent unwanted vandalism of their chosen city’s windows.