V modern world there are more and more new sports, and some of them are simply amazing.

Many of these competitions remain in the background, despite the large number of loyal fans. Although some of these species are unusual, but this gives them an additional flavor and makes them even more interesting.

1. Underwater hockey

This is a rather traumatic version of ice hockey, with strong shocks and collisions characteristic of it. Add to that the risk of being drowned, and ice hockey seems like child's play.

The rules of this underwater game are the same as in its solid counterpart; the only difference is that the players use wooden or plastic sticks the size of a banana to push a metal washer along the bottom of the pool.

When the game becomes particularly addictive, only the ripples of water created by the intense struggle at the bottom of the pool are visible to the audience.

2. Sports sauna

It would seem, what kind of sport is this? However, in fact, athletes in saunas do not rest at all, but fight in endurance by the sweat of their brows, and in the literal sense. Sauna can be insidiously dangerous, it is no coincidence that an ambulance team is always on duty at competitions.

In this sport, the recognized favorites are the Finns, only once did the Russian woman manage to win the World Championship in 2009. The competitions are quite popular - in 2009, 150 athletes from 22 countries took part in them. This sport is quite difficult, the participants literally exhaust themselves.

After all, the sauna maintains a constant temperature of 110 degrees, and steam is released every 30 seconds. To do this, a liter of water is poured onto the hot stones. You can't lie in the sauna, just like leaning against the walls. Eventually the participant must be able to get out of the sauna on their own.

3. Throwing mobile phones

Laughter with laughter, but even the World Championship is held in throwing mobile phones. And the prize fund is very impressive. Interestingly, the winner is determined not only by the distance of the throw, but also by the artistry of its execution.

So, in 2008, the winner was a dog that, with unprecedented grace, was able to perform a phone throw a few centimeters. The competitions are traditionally held in Helsinki. There is also a junior category, also with its own prize fund... The world record for throwing a mobile phone is now 95 meters!

Tournament organizers attract celebrities to popularize this sport - Naomi Campbell and Russell Crowe were planned to participate in the 2011 competitions.

4. Dog sled racing without snow

For most people, sled dogs are strongly associated with winter and snow. But there is a sport in which the dogs do not drag their teams through the snow.

Such races are already fully promoted. So, the last European Championship was held in the German city of Rasted. It was attended by 300 athletes from 19 countries. The best performances were performed by the Poles, who won 8 medals, including 6 gold ones.

The closest competitors were the national teams of Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. The races themselves are held on special sleds, which have wheels instead of runners.

5. Long jump on horseback

This sport even managed to participate in the Olympics! True, it was quite a long time ago - in 1900 in Paris. The meaning of the competition is quite simple - long jump. Only instead of one person the horse jumps together with the rider.

When awarding then all the glory went to people, the horses themselves did not rise to the pedestal and did not receive the well-deserved fame and awards. Today, long jumps on horses, as well as high jumps on them, are very popular in France.

And now the caring French are preparing sets of awards for horses. The winner's chic dinner includes oats, corn, peas, barley, beans, bran, beets, carrots, and potatoes!

6. Sepaktakrau

Looking at this photo, you probably think that this popular sport in Southeast Asia is a combination of karate and volleyball. And you are not far from the truth.

Players are throwing a ball of dried palm leaves, and the game itself has a lot in common with similar team play in the West. Sepaktakrau is popular in Asian countries, and in the late 80s and 90s was even carried out in North America.

As in American football, Sepaktakraw players only pass the ball with their heads or feet. The game takes place on a court the size of a badminton court. Two teams of three players on either side of the net try to keep the ball in play for as long as possible. The scoring rules are the same as in volleyball.

7. Dancing with the dog

Dog dancing, also known as canine freestyle, is more like an art than a sport. They combine elements of training, obedience and dance.

Dancing with a dog may seem like a fun pastime to some, but it is actually a sport that pet owners compete in the USA, UK, Japan and other countries.

So if you are looking for the perfect dance partner, we advise you to take a look at the encyclopedia of dog breeds.

8. Street light

This sport combines a single sled and sidewalk.

Participants lie down on a device like an oversized skateboard that can accommodate a human body. The rest of the work is done by the force of gravity.

9. Quidditch

Like the Harry Potter books, Quidditch combines magic, athleticism and a touch of bloodlust. Do you think that as a sport, Quidditch simply cannot exist in reality? However, a huge number of Harry Potter fans simply won't let some laws of physics get in their way. These people are without magical abilities, but not devoid of ambition and passion, and they created their own version of Quidditch, though not so magical and dramatic.

The International Quidditch Association, based at Middlebury College in Vermont, has grown in just a few years into a network of hundreds of teams that can be found on every continent. The game applies the same rules and the same scoring system as in the books, with one big difference - no one flies on a broomstick.

10. Dragging wives

Running with wives (Finn. Eukonkanto) is an uncomplicated sport of Finnish origin, which looks like this: husbands overcome all kinds of obstacles with their wife, who hangs upside down, clasping her husband by the neck and back.

Glory is not the only winner's prize. The lucky winners of the Wife Drag World Championship in Sonkajärvi will have a keg of beer weighing the weight of the winner's wife.

11. Competition in tree felling

It may seem to some that tree felling is a rather routine and dreary job.

However, log-skating or hot-sawing competitions make ordinary lumberjacks real athletes. Competitions also include team relay, speed climbing and endurance games (such as log riding).

12. Buzkashi

It is a national game typical of the Central Asian countries, played on horseback - which makes it similar to polo. But there is one serious difference between buzkashi and polo - instead of wooden clubs and a ball, participants use the carcass of a cow or goat.

The team consists of ten players, five of whom are in the game at any given time. Players earn points by dragging the carcass across the opponent's goal line. Considering the fact that the game features dead animals, it's no surprise that the game itself is pretty wild, and there are casualties among the audience.

13. Checkbox

This sport combines a fusion of mind and physical strength athlete. As a result, a person should be quite versatile, balanced and physically gifted. The first official battles took place quite recently, in 2003.

There are only 11 rounds in chess boxing, while six are given to chess itself, and five to boxing. In the last round, they play chess. Each game lasts 4 minutes, so each opponent is given 12 minutes to think over the moves in the fast chess half of the match. If the time is exceeded, the batch is immediately terminated. In boxing, each round lasts 2 minutes. There is a 1 minute pause between rounds so that athletes can put on or take off their gloves.

Victory in chessboxing is awarded either by mating the opponent, or by the opponent exceeding time to think about his move, or by surrendering the opponent. In the boxing part, the knockout or stoppage of the fight by the referee is important because of the clear advantage of one of the parties.

14. Cheese racing

Today, the British are arguing with the French about who exactly invented the cheese race. The meaning of the competition is pretty simple. First, all the participants stand on the top of the hill, then the cheese is thrown and everything that is strong runs after it.

The winner is the one who catches the circle dairy product at the foot of the mountain. The participant can have absolutely any clothes. The winner, as the main prize, receives not only a monetary reward, but also himself sports equipment- a cheese head weighing 3.5 kg. Although from the outside, this kind of fun may seem fun, in fact, this kind of sport is quite traumatic - a rare race does without fractures and injuries. At one time, racing for cheese in England was even banned.

After some time, the competition was again allowed, but injuries remained an integral part of the games.

15. Tour wrestling

Arm wrestling is known to everyone, but toe wrestling is not so famous. Athletes enter the ring and grapple thumbs legs, although their posture for wrestling is rather uncomfortable. World cups in this unusual sport have been held since 1970.

Here the struggle is waged in different weight categories, separately on the right and left legs. Allen Nash, a 49-year-old man, became the 2010 World Champion. Perhaps one of his tricks was the pungent smell of socks and feet, for which the athlete even received the nickname "nasty". But he became known all over the world after winning the 20-minute final. This sport is also known as foot wrestling.

This sport is most loved in Asia, although it officially originated in Scotland in the Middle Ages. There, the knights loved to organize tournaments on wrestling with their feet during the halts of military campaigns.

• Explore non-traditional sports

In Great Britain.

• Develop independent and creative skills

• Explore material about non-traditional sports

In Great Britain.

• Draw conclusions about the development of non-traditional sports in the UK.

• Craze healthy way life contributes to the development different types sports, some of which are quite unusual and exotic. So, for example, the appearance in the UK of a competition called Chessboxing completely refutes the expression "There is power, no mind is needed." Very much even necessary, since 11 rounds of the competition, which has become popular since 2008, imply the alternation of boxing with a game of chess. Athletes must hold out for 2 minutes in the ring, and then 4 minutes at chess board... In the event of a "draw", the outcome is decided with the help of boxing gloves.

• No less interesting is underwater hockey, which has spread throughout the world thanks to the same British. Having descended to the bottom of the pool, players equipped with diving equipment must push a puck weighing 1.2 kg into the opponent's goal with short clubs. The history of the game dates back to 1950, and its inventors are divers, who thus trained endurance.

• Another type of game with a stick - bicycle hockey, appeared in the 90s, simultaneously with the invention of modern roller skates... Most of the fans of this sport are in Germany and England, where matches take place right on the streets.

• Knowing how fans of American and European football disagree, accusing each other of cruelty or boredom, it is difficult to imagine the reaction of football fans to the game of Bossaboll. From football in it - the ball and the ability to score with a foot, the rest - from volleyball (a net on the field), and gymnastics (a trampoline that replaces the playing field). A successful bossaboll player must be a multidisciplinary player and in great shape.

• I must say that swamp football is also played in Russia. Since 2000, the Championship of the country has been regularly held in the swamps near the village of Novaya, Tosnensky District of the Leningrad Region. The rules of the game are very similar to regular football, but there are some nuances. The game will certainly take place in mud or swamp, players are not allowed to change boots during the game. The field size here is 60 by 25 meters. In teams of 6 people, and the game takes place in 2 halves of 13 minutes.

• Idea of ​​holding unusual competitions matured in the mid-70s. Then the racing car was too expensive (however, and now little has changed in this regard), so the fans of high-speed competitions decided to use what is next to them - a lawn mower. There are even 4 groups of participants, depending on the equipment of the lawn mowers. For safety reasons, the blades are removed before arrival. Although from the outside, such races seem fun and easy, in fact, this activity is quite difficult and exhausting, there are even 12-hour races. Lawn mower racing is very popular in the USA.

• This kind of football, by the way, is already 800 years old. It is curious that in addition to ordinary football, royal football includes many other sports: aquatic flooring, rugby and others. Competitions are held annually during Olive Week in Ashbourne, England. As in regular football, here the main objective- goal. Only for this you will have to sweat a lot. The gates are two large mills at different ends of the city, while the playing field itself is the city itself. The match takes place from 14 to 22 hours, the players are divided into "southerners" and "northerners". The ball can be delivered to the target in any way, it is forbidden only to fight and use power techniques. The ball cannot be carried on vehicle or hide. Parks, cemeteries, historical sites are excluded from the field of action, so as not to harm them.

• Today, even the British are arguing with the French about who exactly came up with the cheese race. The meaning of the competition is pretty simple. First, all the participants stand on the top of the hill, then the cheese is thrown and everything that is strong runs after it. The winner is the one who catches the dairy product circle at the foot of the mountain. The participant can have absolutely any clothes. The winner, as the main prize, receives not only a monetary reward, but also the sports equipment itself - a cheese head weighing 3.5 kg. Although from the outside, this kind of fun may seem fun, in fact, this kind of sport is quite traumatic - a rare race does without fractures and injuries.

• It seems that the motto of this type of athletes is: "Throw away everything old as far as possible." And although laughter remains laughter, there is even a World Championship in Mobile Phone Throwing. And the prize fund is very impressive. It is interesting, but the winner is determined not only by the distance of the throw, but by the artistry of its execution. So, in 2008, the winner was a dog that, with unprecedented grace, was able to perform a phone throw a few centimeters. The world record for throwing a mobile phone is now 95 meters!

• Arm wrestling is known to everyone, but toe wrestling is not so famous. Athletes enter the ring and interlock with their big toes, although their posture for wrestling is rather uncomfortable. World cups in this unusual sport have been held since 1970. Here the fight is carried out in different weight categories, separately on the right and left legs. Allen Nash, a 49-year-old man, became the 2010 World Champion. This sport is also known as foot wrestling. This sport is most loved in Asia, although it officially originated in Scotland in the Middle Ages. There, the knights loved to organize tournaments on wrestling with their feet during the halts of military campaigns.

• Even if these competitions are not as fast as Formula 1, they are quite entertaining. Such races are held annually in the Rostov region under the name "Bizon Track Show". As a result, both the participants and the audience remain satisfied, and this is the main thing in any competition. Every year the track changes and becomes more and more difficult. Usually the speed of tractors does not exceed 30 km / h, although in some areas they accelerate to 75 km / h

• Surely many people do not know that there is an Extreme Ironing Bureau in the world - an association of people who iron clothes in the most unusual conditions - during a marathon, surfing, climbing or scuba diving. The British came up with an extreme sport, but the idea went far beyond the UK, bringing together many people from different countries... The ironing competition is sponsored by renowned household appliance manufacturers.

• Who first came up with the idea of ​​throwing eggs is unknown, but the tournaments that have been held in the central counties of England for several decades have become national, and recently have received international status.
• These competitions are available for everyone, there would be eggs at hand. The restrained Englishmen roll with laughter, looking at the athletes, on whose heads yolks are flowing, mixed with proteins and shell fragments. The most popular competition is the so-called Russian roulette.
• Rules. Six eggs are placed in the basket - five hard-boiled and one raw. It is this that is considered a bat. Athletes sit opposite each other and alternately break eggs on the opponent's forehead. The one on whose face the egg slurry has flowed is eliminated from the game, and the winner goes to the next round - and so on until the final.

• As you know, everything flows, everything changes, and sport in this sense is no exception. People often lack fun and originality in Everyday life so they come up with all the new entertainment.

Speaking of sports, it is customary to mention "Sports No. 1", "The most popular sport", "Queen of sports", which is not surprising, given the increasing commercial component. This is where big money, scandals and top news are spinning.

But initially sport is a means to maintain a healthy state of mind and body. Today in the world there are many sports, albeit not as popular as, say, football, but no less gambling and exciting.

Some competitions may be unusual, but this gives them an additional flavor. Let's talk about the most unusual sports that have already received some recognition.

Underwater hockey

Despite the fact that ice hockey, as well as field hockey, is constantly heard, there is also such an exotic variety of this sport. At the same time, it is already quite old, having been invented back in 1950 in the UK by local divers, who thus decided to maintain their shape. And the popularity of this type is growing rapidly - after all, you don't have to spend as much money on equipment as in traditional hockey. Moreover, the underwater variety can be played by people of different genders and physical fitness- the underwater world significantly smoothes the difference between people. On each side in teams of 6 people. They drive the puck along the bottom of a pool 2 meters deep and 25x15 meters in size. The player puts on fins, a mask and a snorkel, gloves are put on his hands, and a plastic stick 30.5 cm long acts as an analogue of a stick. Even a bathing suit is not required here, although it is desirable to have one. The goal in underwater hockey is as much as 3 meters wide, and the puck weighs as much as 1.36 kg. The game is divided into 2 halves of 15 minutes each.

Swamp Football

The most popular sport has many "younger" brothers. One of the more exotic is swamp football, which many have already heard of. After all, there is even a World Championship in this sport. It was not the footballer who invented such a variety, but the skier Esa Romppainen. Perhaps he thus wanted to laugh at the glamorous modern footballers, and the joke was somewhat successful. And swamp football fans were quickly found. The world championships have been held since 1989, and regular international competitions since 2000. Usually battles are held in the Finnish Huryunsalmi. I must say that swamp football is also played in Russia. Since 2000, the Championship of the country has been regularly held in the swamps near the village of Novaya, Tosnensky District of the Leningrad Region. The rules of the game are very similar to regular football, but there are some nuances. The game will certainly take place in a mud or a swamp, while players are not allowed to change boots during the game. The field size here is 60 by 25 meters. In teams of 6 people, and the game takes place in 2 halves of 13 minutes. Such a relatively short time is enough for the players to find themselves from head to toe in the mud. For substitutions, the game does not stop, and free kicks are given by hand. Swamp football brings great joy to both the fans and the players themselves. It often seems that the winner is not the one who scored the most goals, but the one who gets more muddy.

Lawn mower racing

Few of those who use a lawn mower to create a beautiful lawn imagine the possibilities of this machine as a means of transportation. The idea of ​​holding unusual competitions matured back in the mid-70s. Then the racing car was too expensive (however, and now little has changed in this regard), so the fans of high-speed competitions decided to use what is next to them - a lawn mower. Competitions set as their goal only to get positive emotions and good pastime, no prize money is provided. All proceeds from events are spent on charity. To participate in the competition, no special skills are required, it is necessary that the athletes are inspected, and their units are checked for technical compliance with the rules. There are even 4 groups of participants, depending on the equipment of the lawn mowers. The blades are removed before the race for safety reasons. Although from the outside, such races seem fun and easy, in fact, this activity is quite difficult and exhausting, there are even 12-hour races. Lawn mower racing is very popular in the United States, but soon we should expect the sport to spread throughout the world among speed lovers.

Checkbox

In this sport, its creators were able to combine two seemingly incompatible varieties. Chessboxing combines the fusion of the mind and physical strength of an athlete. As a result, a person should be quite versatile, balanced and physically gifted. The first official battles took place quite recently, in 2003. However, for a short time of its life, chessboxing has already gained a fairly large number of fans, an increasing number of athletes want to join smart boxing. There are only 11 rounds in chess boxing, while six are given to chess itself, and five to boxing. In the last round, they play chess. Each game lasts 4 minutes, so each opponent is given 12 minutes to think over the moves in the fast chess half of the match. If the time is exceeded, the batch is immediately terminated. In boxing, each round lasts 2 minutes. There is a 1 minute pause between rounds so that athletes can put on or take off their gloves. Victory in chessboxing is awarded either by mating the opponent, or by the opponent exceeding time to think about his move, or by surrendering the opponent. In the boxing part, the knockout or stoppage of the fight by the referee is important because of the clear advantage of one of the parties. There is even the World Chess Boxing Organization, which has put forward the slogan: "Battles take place in the ring, and wars are fought on the board!"

Royal football

This kind of football, by the way, is already 800 years old, although very few people have heard of it. It is curious that in addition to ordinary football, royal football includes many other sports: aquatic flooring, rugby and others. And the very name "football" stuck to this competition later. It used to be simple city fun. The term "royal" stuck to the sport in 1928, when the Prince of Wales personally started the next competition. Competitions are held annually during Olive Week in Ashbourne, England. As in regular football, the main goal here is to score a goal. Only for this you will have to sweat a lot. The gates are two large mills at different ends of the city, while the playing field itself is the city itself. The match takes place from 14 to 22 hours, the players are divided into "southerners" and "northerners". The ball can be delivered to the target in any way, it is forbidden only to fight and use power techniques. The ball must not be transported on a vehicle or hidden. Parks, cemeteries, historical sites are excluded from the field of action, so as not to harm them. As a result, the action strongly resembles a numerous wrestling match, but people really like it.

Cheese racing

Even the very name of this sport brings a smile. After all, usually a mouse is chasing cheese, what does a person have to do with it? In fact, in pursuit of entertainment, they come up with something else. In addition, in ancient times, people needed more vivid adventures, so this kind of sport arose quite a long time ago. Today, even the British are arguing with the French about who exactly came up with the cheese race. The meaning of the competition is pretty simple. First, all the participants stand on the top of the hill, then the cheese is thrown and everything that is strong runs after it. The winner is the one who catches the dairy product circle at the foot of the mountain. The participant can have absolutely any clothes. The winner, as the main prize, receives not only a monetary reward, but also the sports equipment itself - a cheese head weighing 3.5 kg. Although from the outside, this kind of fun may seem fun, in fact, this kind of sport is quite traumatic - a rare race does without fractures and injuries. At one time, racing for cheese in England was even banned. After some time, the competition was again allowed, but the herbs remained an integral part of the games. And how can this stop the fans of popular sports? Its popularity continues to grow today.

Racketball

This game is similar in appearance to regular tennis, but it originated by mixing the basics of handball and squash. The basic rules came from squash, but what does handball have to do with it? In 1949, Joe Sobek proposed to play a squash game on the handball field, and instead of rackets, use short shoulder blades... It is this man who is called today the creator of racquetball. He did a lot for the development of this sport and its popularization. 1979 was the foundation International Federation racquetball, and already 2 years later the first World Championship was held. This attracted attention, which officially recognized the sport as an emerging sport. In 1995, racquetball was even included in the Pan American Games. Today more than 17 million people from 70 countries of the world are involved in this sport. In Russia, this sport remains unusual, which was the reason for its inclusion in this list. The game is split into two sets, which last up to 15 points. In the event of a tie in the parties, the third set is assigned to 11 points. An interesting feature is that only the server can win a point, but if the receiver won it, then he simply takes the serve without winning points. A similar system existed recently in volleyball. Either 1 or 2 players take part in the game. The main task is to hit the ball until it touches the floor for the second time, and the ball can also touch the walls. The position of the racket when touching the ball is very important. Ideally, it should be perpendicular to the floor upon impact. The list of compulsory equipment includes a racket, a ball, goggles and shoes. Shoes are usually chosen in white so as not to leave marks on the floor. Racquetball is gaining popularity because it does not require special skills. In addition, here and an awkward hit can bring success, unlike tennis. Racquetball helps build endurance, significantly improving physical fitness.

Sports sauna

Many men will exclaim that the sauna simply cannot be a sport, how can simple relaxation be for them? In fact, everything is not so, because athletes in saunas do not rest at all, but fight in endurance in the sweat of their brow, and in the literal sense. Stamina is very important here and excellent physical form... In fact, the sauna can turn out to be insidiously dangerous, it is no coincidence that an ambulance team is always on duty at competitions. In this sport, the recognized favorites are the Finns, only once did the Russian woman manage to win the World Championship in 2009. And don't be surprised to see such high-profile competitions. By the way, athletes have to pay 50 euros to take part in them. For fans, entrance costs 15 euros. The competitions are quite popular - in 2009, 150 athletes from 22 countries took part in them. This sport is quite difficult, the participants literally exhaust themselves. Indeed, in the Sunnah, a constant temperature of 110 degrees is maintained, and steam is given every 30 seconds. To do this, a liter of water is poured onto the hot stones. You can't lie in the sauna, just like leaning against the walls. Eventually the participant must be able to get out of the sauna on their own.

Football

And there is no typo in this term. Few have heard of this sport, because, moreover, it is only a few years old. The invention of the Ukrainians is distinguished by the fact that here on the field two balls are played simultaneously. The first match took place on October 26, 2007 between the team of the bank and the construction institute. The organizers had to conduct a 10-minute briefing before the start of the fight to explain all the rules. However, neither the players nor even the referees really understood anything. There was a mess on the pitch, it was not even possible to establish the score of the game right away. As a result, they somehow revealed the victory of the bankers with a score of 15: 8, they were proclaimed the winners and immediately the world champions. The Ukrainians decided not to complicate the fight for the title. The rules are the same here as in big football, the gate and the field are the same size. As mentioned, there are two balls here - pink and blue. There are 11 players in each team, however, an unlimited number of substitutions are allowed. The course of the game is monitored by four referees at once - two for each ball. The flags of the assistants are also painted in the color of the balls. The referees also have different whistles so that the players and the audience can understand exactly where the game has been stopped. But there is no offside rule here. The creators of football are determined to develop their sport. In 2010, it is planned to hold the first championship of the city of Kiev, in which 16 teams will take part. Although both tactics and player movement seem insane today, perhaps footdullball will take its rightful place among popular types sports.

Throwing mobile phones

It seems that the motto of this type of athletes is: "Throw away everything old as far as possible." And although laughter remains laughter, there is even a World Championship in Mobile Phone Throwing. And the prize fund is very impressive. It is interesting, but the winner is determined not only by the distance of the throw, but by the artistry of its execution. So, in 2008, the winner was a dog that, with unprecedented grace, was able to perform a phone throw a few centimeters. The competitions are traditionally held in Helsinki. There is also a junior category here, also with its own prize fund. The world record for throwing a mobile phone is now 95 meters! Tournament organizers attract celebrities to popularize this sport - Naomi Campbell and Russell Crowe are planning to participate in the 2011 competitions.

Tour wrestling

Arm wrestling is known to everyone, but toe wrestling is not so famous. Athletes enter the ring and interlock with their big toes, although their posture for wrestling is rather uncomfortable. World cups in this unusual sport have been held since 1970. Here the fight is carried out in different weight categories, separately on the right and left legs. Allen Nash, a 49-year-old man, became the 2010 World Champion. Perhaps one of his tricks was the pungent smell of socks and feet, for which the athlete even received the nickname "nasty". But he became known all over the world after winning the 20-minute final. This sport is also known as foot wrestling. This sport is most loved in Asia, although it officially originated in Scotland in the Middle Ages. There, the knights loved to organize tournaments on wrestling with their feet during the halts of military campaigns.

Tractor racing

Even if these competitions are not as fast as Formula 1, they are quite entertaining. Such races are held annually in the Rostov region under the name "Bizon Track Show". It is becoming a good tradition for agricultural producers from all over the country to come to participate in this extreme rally. In addition to the excitement of a sense of speed, the winner receives as a prize new tractor with original tuning. As a result, both the participants and the audience remain satisfied, and this is the main thing in any competition. Every year the track changes and becomes more and more difficult. Typically, the speed of tractors does not exceed 30 km / h, although in some areas they accelerate to 75 km / h. Special attention is paid to safety engineering here. It is recommended to observe the competition while standing on a hill in order to protect against accidents in the behavior of formidable machines. However, technical inspection is also mandatory for cars, besides, old engines on them are replaced with cooled turbochargers, and other parts, "sharpened" for racing, are used.

Mustache and beard competition

Many will be surprised, but since 2007 this former carnival has been officially recognized sporting event... It is not clear what is sporting in wearing beards and mustaches, but the fact remains. The World Championship takes place every 2 years. Owners of the world's most unusual mustaches and beards compete on it. Last time the competition took place in 2009 in the city of Anchorage, Alaska. There are many different categories in the championship, ranging from the thinnest mustache to the largest and most unusual beards. In this case, the judges pay attention not only to the originality of the hair on the face, but also certainly check the authenticity of the hair, the degree of its silkiness and softness.

Dog sled racing without snow

For most people, sled dogs are strongly associated with winter and snow. But there is a sport in which the dogs do not drag their teams through the snow. Such races are already fully promoted. So, the last European Championship was held in the German city of Rasted. It was attended by 300 athletes from 19 countries. The best performances were performed by the Poles, who won 8 medals, including 6 gold ones. The closest competitors were the national teams of Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. The races themselves are held on special sleds, which have wheels instead of runners.

Long jump on horseback

This sport even managed to participate in the Olympics! True, it was quite a long time ago - in 1900 in Paris. The meaning of the competition is quite simple - long jump. Only instead of one person the horse jumps together with the rider. When awarding then all the glory went to people, the horses themselves did not rise to the pedestal and did not receive the well-deserved fame and awards. Today, long jumps on horses, as well as high jumps on them, are very popular in France. And now the caring French are preparing sets of awards for horses. The winner's chic dinner includes oats, corn, peas, barley, beans, bran, beets, carrots, and potatoes!

What can the game of chess and boxing have in common? It turns out that there are a lot when it comes to such a sport as chessboxing or chess boxing. Don't you figure out how to play it yet? Now we will explain everything to you. We will also tell you about 14 more amazing and sometimes stupid, but very funny sports that were invented by people to compete and have fun at the same time.

15 PHOTOS

1. Chess box or chess box. This is not only a game of muscles, but also of brains. Opponents in this hybrid sport play boxing and chess in alternating rounds. Chessboxing fights have been officially held since 2003. Dymer Aghasryan from Armenia became the light heavyweight champion of the world. (Photo: Ray Tang / Rex Features).
2. Wearing wives. This game was invented by the Finns ... Men participating in the competition win beer in an amount corresponding to the weight of their wife. Pictured: Finnish couple Ville Parviainen and Janet Oxman, who won the race last year. (Photo: EPA).
3. Toe wrestling. It's an interesting big toe wrestling. Opponents squeeze their fingers and the one who presses the opponent's foot to the floor wins. Alan "Nasty" Nash (left) from Great Britain is the reigning champion. (Photo: DARREN STAPLES / Reuters).
4. Rolling cheese. This traditional British competition has been held annually for over 200 years. The point of the game is to catch up with a circle of cheese rolling down the mountainside. The current champion is Chris Anderson. (Photo: REX / London News Pictures).
5. Downhill racing on a sled with wheels in the city is a bit like winter olympic look sports - luge... Its participants can accelerate on asphalt up to a speed of 157 kilometers per hour. The current world champion is Denis Araugo from Brazil. For those who prefer not extreme, but traditional winter views sports, such as skiing or alpine skiing, you should think about buying equipment now. Get your skis ready in summer! Which ski model is right for your style and skiing location, you can find out on the pages of the E-Sport sports online store, as well as choose and order those that you like. (Photo: AP Photo).
6. Competition for eating hot dogs for a while. This sport is much more difficult than it seems at first glance. The current record holder is Joey Chesnut (center), who ate 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes. (Photo: AP Photo).
7. Scuba diving in the swamp. In this competition, competitors must swim two lengths of trench, without the usual diving equipment. Only snorkel and fins are allowed. The record in swamp diving belongs to Kirsty Johnson, who covered the "muddy distance" in 1 minute and 22 seconds. (Photo: Rebecca Naden / Reuters).
8. Competition in antics. You cannot call it otherwise, because in this competition the winner is the one who can make the strangest mines with his face. This competition has been held in the UK ... for over 700 years. And Tommy Mattinson has been the unbeatable winner in antics for 15 years in a row. (Photo: John Li / Getty Images).
9. World Championship in shooting ... with peas. This competition requires a bit of ingenuity and engineering skills from the competitor to make a weapon for themselves, and deadly precision to hit the target. World champion in this strange kind the sport is Rob Bresler from the UK. (Photo 6 Neil Hall / Reuters).
10. World Championship in underwater kissing. The reigning champions are Xu Jun and Zhang Wenqing from Shanghai, whose kiss lasted 1 minute and 20 seconds. (Photo: Daniele La Monaca / Reuters).
11. Frog jumping. The winner of the competition is the competitor whose frog makes the longest jump. Riley Kitchell from California won this year. (Photo: REX / KPA / Zuma).
12. The shin kick competition dates back to the Middle Ages. Two participants in this competition are holding each other by the shoulders and trying to kick each other in the shins in order to knock each other to the ground. This year's champion was Ross Langill from Vancouver. (Photo: Robert Hallam / Rex Features).
13. Sepak Takraw is an Asian sport in which competitors try to throw the ball into the opponent's field using only their legs, head or torso, but never their arms. Taiyiland's team - reigning champion... (Photo: AP Photo / Eugene Hoshiko).
14. Regattas of boats made of beer cans. This competition is like Mindil Beach in Australia every year. According to the rules, the participants of the race must keep on the water only thanks to the beer tanks, no other ballast is allowed. This year the Tipanic boat won. (Photo: Newspix / REX).
15. International Championship by spitting on cherry pits. This competition, which was invented in 1974 to celebrate cherry picking, is still held annually in Michigan today. In 2014, the winner was Brian "Young Gun" Krause. (Photo: AP Photo / Don Campbell).