category: Battles Arm Wrestling has been a legitmate sport since the 50's, made famous by Wide World of Sports Petaluma World Wristwrestling Championships during 70's and 80's. The movie Over the Top with Sylvester Stallone featured the sport in 1987. And today there are world Championships that feature over a thousand competitors from 47 countries around the world competing
*Austus — hybrid sport of American football and Australian rules football. Category: Football, Ball Sports, HybridAustus is a hybrid sport which was created in Australia during World War II when soldiers stationed there from the USA wanted to play football against the Australians.
The name comes from the first four letters of Australia (AUST) and the initials of the United States (US).
Many Austus matches were played during the WWII period in Australia, but unfortunately when the US soldiers went home the game was not continued.
Austus Details
A set of rules for the new game were drawn up by Ern Cowley, baseball editor of the Melbourne Sporting Globe, obviously utilizing his knowledge of both games. The composite rules consisted of throwing (which is not allowed in AFL) and kicking (which is rarely used in American Football). They used an American Football, which is designed better for throwing. The American tended to throw the ball while the Aussies kicked it, but the games were competitive and large crow
Basque Pelota — quick handball
Category: Ball Sports
A Basque Pelota (pelota in Spanish, pilota in Basque and Catalan, or pelote in French) is known as the fastest sport in the world. It is played in several countries: in Spain and France, especially in the Basque Country and its neighbouring areas. It is also popular in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Perú and Uruguay. The game is also operated as a gaming enterprise called Jai Alai in this part of the world, and it is seen in southern parts of the US.
There are several variations of pelota, including using the hand, a bat and a basket. The basic principle is that there are two teams of two players each. The team to serve bounces the ball, then hits it towards the playing area of the narrow front wall, where it has to rebound between a high and low line on the walls. See these videos of Basque Pelota which shows the exceptional skills and physical demands required for this sport.
*A Basque pelota tournament was contested at the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris.
*Beard & Moustache Championships — nice facial hair
If you like a bit of facial hair, then this may be the competition for you. Men with elaborate beards and moustaches come together every two years for the World Beard and Moustache Championships. The competition involves men with lengthy, highly-styled facial hair. The first Championship was held in Höfen-Enz, Germany, in 1990. The next competition will in 2011, in Trondheim, Norway.
Competition Rules
For the competition, there are four categories of facial hair, with each category broken into 17-18 individual categories.
1.Moustache
2.Sideburn
3.Partial Beard
4.Full Beard
Bed Racing — racing in your sleep.Category: races
The sport of Bed Racing has been embraced by the people of the North Yorkshire Town of Knaresborough, who hold the annual Knaresborough Bed Race. The first race in 1965 was only open to Army, Navy and American Marines, but now the competition is open to anyone.
The competitors race in teams of six, plus one on the bed. Each team must provide their own bed, decorated in the theme for the year. The bed runs on four wheels, but also need to be able to float, as explained below.
The 3km run race begins and ends at Conyngham Hall. About halfway through the run, the teams face the one-in-five gradient climb to Castle Top before it’s back down the hill and toward the final challenge – crossing a river.
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| *PIG RACING |
Category: Races
Darwin, in the far north of Australia, has one of the highest beer consumption in the world. In 1974 the residents of the town came up with another use for their empty beer cans - the Beer Can Regatta (see photos).
Boats are made out of empty aluminum cans. Beer cans are the traditional building material, but the organizers now promote responsible drinking and a family friendly event, so all can types are allowed. The boats, if you can call them that, are raced from Mindil beach out to a buoy and back, powered by human paddlers.
The popularity of the event has dwindled recently, at its peak in 1986 it attracted more than 20,000 spectators.
*Beer Pong — combining drinking and ping pong
category: Food
Beer pong, also known as Beirut, is the staple game of US college parties. It can now be considered a sport - it has its own world series! It is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table to try and land the ball in a cup of beer at the other end. The official site for beer pong start their list of rules with "Rules are made to be broken". That is a sport which does not take itself too seriously. There are many variations of the game, and they are all OK. For the purpose of official competition (such as the World Series of Beer Pong), some standard rules had to be set down. For any game, the rules need to be agreed upon before starting play. Often there are house rules that need to be followed.
Generally, the game is often played with teams of 2-4, with six or ten plastic cups arranged in a triangle at each end. Players throw the ping pong ball, trying to land it in an opponents cup. Once the ball has been sunk in a cup, that cup is then eliminated from the game and the opponent consumes the cup's contents.
The rules used for the World Series includes 2 players per team, 2 balls per game, 2 shots per side (except first toss) and 10 cups per side. Also, players do not have to play with beer - they can choose to play with water at their discretion.
The World Series of Beer Pong VIII was held in Vegas in January 2013, with 160 teams attending. Some take it pretty serious, as you would expect for $50,000 first prize. Some teams opted to fill some of their cups with water and competition organizers only filled four of the ten cups with liquid.
The winning team was team called “Drinkin Smokin Straight West Coastin” from California.
*Bicycle Polo — another version of polo.
Category: Ball Sports
The sport of Bicycle Polo (also called Cycle Polo, Bike Polo) is a team sport similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. The sport was invented in County Wicklow, Ireland, in 1891 by retired cyclist, Richard J. Mecredy. Traditional Bicycle Polo is played on a large rectangular grass field, but the faster hardcourt version played by less players on a smaller court is getting popular. The hardcourt version is called "Hardcourt Bike Polo" or "Urban Bike Polo", and is played by three players on a hard court surface such as for basketball tennis with a street hockey ball.
Bicycle Polo was apparently a demonstration sport at the 1908 Olympic Games. Do not confuse this sport with Cycle Ball, a sport similar to football played on bicycles.
*Came Racing
Category: Animals
Camels are raced in professional events in Saudi Arabia, where large amounts are bet on the races that can cover between three and ten kilometers. In the inland desert regions of Australia there are also camel racing events, though many do not take is as seriously as their Arab counterparts.
Some of the big events on the calendar are the Alice Springs Camel Cup, Boulia Camel Races, and the Bedourie Camel Cup. Camel races are also held in Rajasthan India, being highlights of the Bikaner and Pushkar Camel Fairs.
*Camel Wrestling — two male camels up against each other.
category: Animals
In January each year there is the annual Camel Wrestling Championship held in Selcuk in Turkey. The event puts together two bull (male) camels with a female camel on heat nearby. The camels fight it out for the female, leaning on each other to push the other one down.
*Canal Jumping — vaulting over a dutch canal.
Category: uncategorized
This unusual sporting event is called Fierljeppen in The Netherlands (Holland).
The long aluminum poles are between 3 and 5 m long and have a flat round plate at the bottom to prevent it from sinking into the muddy canal bottom of the canal. The contestants run and jump onto the pole, then a shimmy to the top of the pole (some with the aid of bicycle inner tubes strapped to their feet), and then vault off to try and land on the opposite bank. A National Canal Jumping Contest is held on August 22nd each year. There is no prize except the honor of being the Dutch Champion Canal
*Pig Racing
Category: Animals
Doing the Australian Royal Show circuit each year, including the Royal Melbourne Show, there is proof that pigs really can fly. A pig trainer conducts demonstrations of pig racing and pig diving.
*Race & Dive
Four pigs race around a small track, with sections of the audience behind one each. Then a few well trained pigs, race up a ramp and dive (jump really) into a pool.
*Cane Toad Racing — jump to it
Category: Animals
Cane Toad Races: The cane toad was introduced to Australia last century to help control the cane beetle, but unfortunately the toad thrived to the detriment of local wildlife. Most people want to get rid of them, but in Northern Queensland they have found another use for them - racing.
You can find a regular race each week at the Ironbar Bar and Restaurant in Port Douglas, or at the annual Maclean Cane Harvest Festival.
*Chess Boxing — mixing brains and brawn.
Category: Pastimes, Battles
Not long ago the Dutch event artist Lepe Rubingh came up with the bright idea of combining chess and boxing, which became the hybrid sport of chessboxing. (it has also been reported that gains its inspiration from a graphic novel called, Froid Équateur).
The sport alternates between games of boxing and chess after each round - waiting for a checkmate or knockout to decide the match. A Chess Boxing match between two individuals lasts up to eleven rounds, starting with a four minute chess round and followed by two minutes of boxing. There is even a World Chess Boxing Organization, whose motto is: “Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board”.
It must be hard to find someone with skills in both areas of boxing and chess. I know of a lot of boxers who struggle to put a few words together, let alone play a game of chess. On the other hand chess players are known for their intelligence, and I would expect that they would be smart enough to know that getting into a ring with someone trying to hurt you is not a wise idea.
*Club Swinging — artistic throwing up.
Category: uncategorized
Club Swinging is an old sport which involves the competitor standing with a club in each hand, which are shaped like like bowling pins or juggling clubs, then whirling or swinging the clubs very quickly around the body and head in a variety of patterns in a complicated routine. Judges award points based on the degree of difficulty and execution of the routine.
Club Swinging has appeared twice at the Olympic Games, in 1904 and 1932. A form of club swinging is part of the apparatus event in calisthenics and gymnastics. Nowadays club swinging is gaining in popularity as a form of exercise training.
*Crazy Golf — also known as mini golf or putt-putt
Categories: Games, bowling & rolling
There are national and international organizations for the shortened form of golf - variously called crazy golf, minigolf and putt-putt plus many other names.
One major event is The World Crazy Golf Championship. This event started in 2003, and is held annually in Hastings, East Sussex.
*Cow Racing — moo too.
*Elephant Polo — large animals out of control.
Category: Animals, Ball Sports
The sport of elephant polo has been around since the British first went to India and adapted their horseback game to use elephants. The rules are very similar to horse polo, except the pitch is shorter and the riders have a trainer on board as well (called a 'manout') to help control the elephant. Originally a soccer ball was used, but now that has been replaced by a standard polo ball.
*Joggling — combining running and juggling
Category: Races
It is easy to see where they got the name for the sport of joggling - a combination of juggling and jogging. The rules for the sport are simple too - the competitors must maintain a juggling pattern whilst running, and if an object is dropped, the joggler must return and continue from the point where the object fell. See video examples of the sport of joggling.
Owen Morse was one of the early experts, and still holds the Guinness World Record for 100 meters while juggling 5 balls, in 13.8 seconds set in 1988. There are records for joggling events right up to a 50 mile ultramarathon, covered in 8 hours and 23 minutes by Perry Romanowski in 2007. The current world best time for a joggling marathon is 2:50:09, achieved by Canadian Michal Kapral in September, 2000.
In another twist to sport, In 2012, Joe Salter set a record for the fastest triathlon while juggling. He completed the juggling triathlon in one hour, 57 minutes. He swam 0.25 miles while juggling three balls, rode 16.2 miles on a bike while juggling two balls in one hand and then completed a 4-mile run while juggling three balls. While he was swimming he wasn't actually joggling - he was swuggling. And on the bike he was buggling!
There is a annual Joggling World Championships, first held in 1980. The current program of events include races between 100 meters to 5 kilometers, as well as relay races. In the relay races, teammates pass one ball to the next relay runner (who holds two balls ) in the handoff zone.
*Mud Olympics — getting down and dirty
The motto for the Mud Olympics is faster, higher and muddier! Called Wattolympiade (meaning Mud Olympics), this event is held annually in mud flats along the banks of the Elbe River in Brunsbüttel near Hamburg, Germany. Competitions in the mud along the river here have been played since 1978. Today the competition is held alongside a series of concerts on the same weekend for local bands, called "Mudstock", which raise money for the Schleswig-Holstein Cancer Society.
The events include mud versions of traditional sports like soccer and handball, as well as mud specific events like the mud-eel race and the long-distance rubber boot toss.
*Paper-Scissors-Rock World Championships
Category: Pastimes
Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) is a traditional playground game used to break stalemates and determine teams. This game, which is based mostly on luck, is not just for school kids, and now even has a world championships.
The 2005 RPS World Championships was again held in Toronto Canada, and involved 495 competitors from 27 U.S. States, Norway, Northern Ireland, Cayman Islands, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. The winner received $7,000 canadian dollars, second place received $1,500 and third $500. It is no playground game anymore.
Rules
The players count together to 3 counts, most commonly either using the name of the game (e.g. Rock! Paper! Scissors! or Ro! Sham! Bo!) or simply numbers. At the end of the third count, the players simultaneously change their fists into any of three "objects", which they then "throw" by extending it towards their opponent. The three objects are 'paper', 'scissors' and 'rock'. The objective is to defeat the opponent by selecting a weapon which defeats their choice under the following rules:
Rock (a clenched fist): wins against Scissors (break them), loses to Paper (gets wrapped up) and stalemates against itself
Paper (all fingers extended, palm facing downwards, upwards, or sideways) wins against Rock (wraps it), loses to Scissors (gets cut) and stalemates against itself
Scissors (forefinger and middle finger extended and separated into a "V" shape) wins against Paper (cuts it), loses to Rock (gets smashed) and stalemates against itself.
In International competition, the weapon is thrown on the fourth count ("1 ... 2 ... 3 ... THROW"). This is called "International Style." In "American Style," the throw comes on the third count ("1 ... 2 ... THROW"). Typically, the game is played in a "best 2 out of 3" match.
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