Weird Sports from Around the World
By
Dan Holmes
Contributor Updated: 21 August 2024
Dan Holmes Contributor
Dan Holmes, a content creator and sports betting enthusiast, brings over a decade of experience to Betting.US. His extensive writing background spans from the internet to prestigious roles at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Dan’s articles, featured on numerous websites, cover various sports, from bowling to disc golf.
Weird Sports Around the World
When you watch the Olympics you may see sporting events that are unusual to you. But, even those rare sports, often only focused on every four years, are common when compared to the ones included in this artcile. Stay tuned to find the most unusual, bizarre, weird sports around the world. You may have heard of a few of these events, but you’ll probably be surprised at many of them.
Slap Fighting
Professional slap fighting competitions are one of the crazy sports where people line up to get hit in the face. Imagine a blend of martial arts and a playground dare, and you’re halfway there. This intense, and somewhat baffling sport involves two competitors standing across a table, taking turns delivering open-handed slaps to each other’s faces with the kind of force that would make even a seasoned wrestler wince.
The rules of slap fighting are simple: no punching, no kicking, just good old-fashioned slapping. Competitors must keep one hand on the table while they unleash their slaps, aiming for the cheek with precision and power. The goal is to either knock out your opponent or have them concede defeat due to sheer face-numbing pain. Judged on technique, force, and reaction, the slaps echo through the arena, leaving the crowd both cringing and cheering.
Founded in Eastern Europe, slap fighting has gained global popularity, with viral videos showing the jaw-dropping, and jaw-shaking, moments of impact. Champions in this sport, like the burly Vasiliy “Dumpling” Kamotskiy, have become internet sensations, their stoic faces and iron chins a testament to their training and tolerance for pain. It’s a wild ride, and proof that in the realm of crazy sports, anything goes.
Toe Wrestling
This has to be one of the weirdest sports around the world. Anything involving the toes and feet is likely to draw interest and some suspicious concern, and toe wrestling is no different. Toe wrestling, one of the most unusual sports, originated in the 1970s in Staffordshire, England. This quirky competition involves contestants locking toes and attempting to pin their opponent’s foot to the ground, similar to arm wrestling.
Participants, or “tozies,” engage in a best-of-three format, alternating between the right and left foot. The sport has its own World Toe Wrestling Championship, attracting competitors and curious spectators from around the globe. The event was created in a pub (shocker) by a group of friends who wanted to invent a sport the British could dominate.
Over the years, toe wrestling has gained a dedicated following, with some participants training rigorously to strengthen their toes and develop winning techniques. Despite its odd nature, the sport fosters camaraderie and a sense of fun, proving that the world of athletics has room for even the most unconventional and eccentric pastimes. If the toe fits, as they say: wrestle it?
Quidditch: Odd Sports from Literature
Lovers of Harry Potter, come hither! Fantasy has become reality with this unofficial sporting league that pays homage to one of the most successful book and movie franchises of all-time. The Major League Quadball (Quidditch) League brings the magical sport from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series into the real world, with teams in the U.S. and Canada.
Adapted for Muggles, it combines elements of rugby, dodgeball, and tag, played on broomsticks. Teams of seven compete to score points by getting a quaffle through hoops while dodging bludgers and catching the elusive snitch. Governed by the International Quidditch Association, the sport has gained a global following, blending fantasy and athleticism in a unique, fast-paced, and inclusive competition.
Camel Jumping
Camel jumping, one of the weirdest sports you’ll encounter, hails from Yemen. In this daring spectacle, competitors take a running leap over a line of camels standing side by side. The goal? To clear as many camels as possible without stumbling.
Originating as a test of agility and bravery among Yemeni tribesmen, camel jumping has evolved into a celebrated tradition. It showcases not only athletic prowess but also the rich cultural heritage of the region, proving that human ingenuity knows no bounds when it comes to creating unique sports.
This summer you won’t see camels in the Olympics in Paris. And two years from now in 2026, when you go to bet on the Winter Olympics that take place in Italy, you won’t see camels on skis. If you did, that would really be a strange sporting event.
Crazy Sports That Will Amaze You: Death Diving
Would you compete in a sport called “death diving?” It’s sort of like eating something called “rotten vegetables,” right? What are these people thinking? In death diving, competitors toss themselves off a platform or a cliff (!) into the water several feet below. That sounds like typical diving, right? But no wait… the competitors must land in the water belly first or flat as a pancake.
The goal is to look as foolish and land as violently as possible. The dives can come as high as 100 hundred feet or more. Yes, really. This sport was invented in Norway by a rock guitarist, who decided to call it “Dødsing.” We’re not sure if that’s Norwegian for “idiot,” but it would be appropriate.
The world championships are held annually in Oslo, where spectators and participants are known to imbibe on local beers, gorge themselves on traditional Norwegian food, and dive into the water with hopes of making a big SMACKING sound. Yeehah!
Gurning: One of the Weird Sports Around the World
Everyone has that unsightly person in their family or friend group. You know, the “not so beautiful” one of your pals. Well, now those of you who are 1’s and 2’s can find your place to shine with a sickly mug: gurning. Gurning is one of the odd sports that makes you question the boundaries of human creativity, is a delightfully bizarre spectacle rooted in British tradition.
Imagine a competition where the goal isn’t to score goals, run the fastest, or leap the highest, but to contort your face into the most absurd and grotesque expressions imaginable. That’s gurning for you, and the uglier your face the better. The sport’s heartland is Egremont in Cumbria, England, where the annual World Gurning Championships take place.
Participants, known as gurners, often don a horse collar around their necks – a throwback to its agricultural origins—before letting their facial muscles run wild. The results are hilarious: bulging eyes, twisted lips, and expressions that seem to defy the anatomy textbooks.
Gurning is believed to have started in the 13th century, proving that humanity’s penchant for nonsense dates far back. A popular gurning champion named Peter Jackman had his teeth removed to enhance his gurn, making him a celebrated figure in this quirky community.
If you ever find yourself needing a good laugh or wanting to witness human faces doing things you never thought possible, head to a gurning competition and get your fill of U-G-L-Y. It’s proof that sports can be as much about fun as they are about finesse. Even if they are weird sports around the world.
