The Craziest Sports From All Over The World – Yahoo Travel

Futevolei

Brazil’s favorite beach game. (Photo: Futevolei Brasil/Facebook)

The Brazilian sport futevolei is essentially a mixture of beach volleyball and soccer and was created in Rio de Janeiro in 1965 as a way for football players to overcome playing football on the beach, which was banned. The game is played two-versus-two and combines the rules of both sports, utilizing the field rules of volleyball and the ball touch rules from soccer. Players are not allowed to use their hands, but the aim is to get the ball down within the court on the opposite side of the net. The game is so popular in Brazil that many famous Brazilian soccer players have gone on to compete in futevolei, including Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Romario. 

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Eukonkanto 

Yes, wife carrying is a sport. (Photo: Visit Lakeland/Flickr)

Eukonkanto, otherwise known as “wife carrying,” originated in Finland and dates back to the early 1800s. This unusual competition involves men racing through an obstacle course while carrying a woman. The man with the fastest time through the 253.5-meter course is the winner. The course contains two dry obstacles and a water obstacle that is around a meter deep and there are several permitted ways to carry the “wife,” including piggyback, fireman’s lift, and Estonian-style — where the wife hangs upside down and backward, with her legs wrapped around the man’s shoulders. According to the rules, you can use your own wife or your neighbor’s and she must weigh at least 108 pounds. The Wife Carrying World Championships take place in Sonkajarvi each year and the prize is your wife’s weight in beer. 

Buzkashi

Horsing around in Buzkashi. (Laura’s Eye/Flickr)

From wife carrying to goat carrying, the central Asian sport of Buzkashi (which means “goat dragging” in Persian), features two teams of horse-mounted players dragging a dead goat across a goal line. The national sport of Afghanistan, Buzkashi dates back to somewhere between the 10th and 15th centuries and is now played on Fridays with matches drawing crowds of thousands. A less gruesome version of the game has been played here in the U.S. since the ‘40s and is called Kav Kaz. In this version, two five-man teams play with a sheepskin-covered ball on a field the size of a soccer field. The aim is to get the ball into the wooden framed goals at each end. 

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Kabaddi 

Hold your breath during Kabaddi. (Photo: Nagarjan Kandukuru/Flickr)

Kabaddi is a full-contact sport that originated in ancient India and is now played across several Asian countries by both men and women. The game involves two teams of seven players that each occupy an end of a rectangular field. The match itself is like an epic game of tag — while certain team members hold their breath. To prove that they haven’t inhaled, players are expected to chant “kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi.” To make things extra difficult, the tagged team members have the opportunity to wrestle their taggers. Tag and wrestling and breath holding…sounds awesome! 

Bo-taoshi

Making it to the top in the Japanese sport of Bo-Taoshi. (Photo: Bo-Taoshi/Facebook)

Possibly one of the most intense sports ever created, the Japanese sport of Bo-taoshi is both dangerous and strange. Two teams of 75 individuals battle for control of a large wooden pole, with one team defending the pole, attempting to keep it in its vertical position, and the other team attacking, in an attempt to bring the pole down. A tame version of the game, where teams have to capture a flag at the top of the pole, is played in schools in Japan. However the more famous version of the game, where players have to wear protective headgear due to its aggressive nature, takes place annually at the National Defense Academy of Japan. 

Yukigassen 

Yukigassen — better than your average snowball fight. (Photo: Yukigassen Finland/Facebook)

The game of Yukigassen might be the most competitive sport ever created. Originating in Japan, it is now played in countries all over the world — from Canada to Australia. The translation of the word Yukigassen explains the game — yuki meaning “snow” and gassen meaning “battle” in Japanese. Yukigassen is essentially a giant snowball fight. Played by two teams of seven players competing to capture a flag, the rules are very simple. A player is out if he is hit by a snowball and the winning team is the one holding the flag. Teams are allowed to make up to 90 snowballs in advance. 

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