8 Bizarre Sports

 

Source : Loughborough University site

Some sports go beyond the boundaries of unusual sports in terms of rules and equipment used. Read on and decide which one you think is the weirdest of all.

 1.  Lawn Mower Racing

Source: Topend sports

People racing lawn mowers? Yes, it’s a real sport. There are even several associations to sponsor the sport such as the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA).

2.  Street Luge

Source: Red Bull

Street luge is a sport on which a person lies down on a skateboard and races down a paved hill at high speeds. Racers can go from 70 to 120 kmph on a skateboards in this sport.

3.  Extreme Ironing

Source: Roar Nation

Extreme ironing is an up and coming sport that started in the United Kingdom in 1997. Ironing? Sounds pretty boring, right?    

                                

 Wrong!

This is no ordinary ironing. It’s the “extreme” in extreme ironing that makes it exciting, challenging, and dangerous. The objective is to iron in different and dangerous places such as while mountain climbing, water skiing, canoeing, or skydiving. There’ s even a world championship for the sport.

4.  Zorbing

Source: TripAdviser

Invented in the 1990s, zorbing is a sport where you get inside a huge plastic inflatable ball and roll down a hill. This quickly became an official extreme sport in 1998. Zorbing can be done on a grassy or snowy hill. Don’t worry, you won’t tumble around in the ball and get bruised. You’re harnessed in. However, in some cases, zorbers put some water in the zorb so that as you’re tumbling downhill, you get wet.

5.  Man vs. Horse Marathon

Source: The Wall Street Journal

This Welsh sporting event is just what it sounds like. The Man vs. Horse Marathon is an annual event in which people on horseback race against humans on foot in a  running race that’s a little over 22 miles long. Though the title has the word “man” in it, women also compete. As it is such a long distance, humans actually have a chance at  winning . but it is very rare. Humans have won only twice in the last decade.

6.  Bog Snorkeling

Source: The Guardian

Bog snorkeling is simply what it sounds like. It’s a sporting event in which people use a snorkel and flippers and swim in a narrow trench filled with bog, a swamp full of dead plant material. An official bog snorkeling course is 120 yards in length. In actual competitions, the person who finishes the fastest is the winner. Bog snorkellers must not use any swimming strokes whatsoever and should only rely on the kicking power with the flippers. What sick person come up with this idea?

7.   Curling

Source: USA Today

Curling was originally an outdoor sport that originated in Scotland in the 16^th century, but is now an indoor sport. In fact, since 1998, curling has become an Olympic sport. This basic idea of curling is that two teams of four people each throw polished granite stones down an alley of ice. Then their teammates can help the stones along by sweeping them down the alley with brooms. Scoring is done by the way the stones are strategically placed and for this reason it is often called “ chess on ice”.   

   8. Capoeira

Source: Encyclopedia Britainica

This Afro-Brazilian sport was developed during the time of African slavery in Brazil. It is actually a form of fighting and self defense, but is done through music and rhythm and dance. A group of people gather in a circle and take turns getting in the centre to spare. During slavery, this was a way that they could practise fighting to rebel against their masters without being detected as they made it look like a game or dance. In modern times, there is usually no contact, but rather near misses as the sport is more about technique and style than it is about beating your opponent.