The World's Weirdest Sports

Paul Connolly

Hun 2011 · Allen & Unwin

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Bog snorkelling, dwile flonking, wife carrying — these might sound like the newest entries in a dictionary of euphemisms, but they are in fact sports. Strange sports, yes, but actual sports nonetheless. And there are dozens more, as you'll discover in this fantastic, witty and oddly compelling round-up of the world's strangest events held in the glorious name of competition. How about Chess-Boxing? It features 11 alternating rounds of chess and boxing and you can win by either a knockout or a checkmate. Or what about the Afghani sport of Buzkashi? This translates as goat grabbing and is like a surreal version of rugby on horseback, with a 55kg goat carcass instead of a ball and up to 100 competitors who are allowed to whip other riders to get the carcass off them and into their own scoring circle. Then there is the very Australian annual Goanna Pulling Championships, held every June. The competitors are actually consenting adults, who put large leather collars around their necks, hitch the collars to a chain that runs between the two of them, lie down on their stomachs, facing each other, with chests lifted off the ground, and attempt to drag their opponent backwards across the winning line. There are 50 very weird but very real sports in the book and you will find yourself chuckling on every page as you learn about them.

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Paul Connolly is an experienced journalist who has written across the spectrum, from sports and humour columns to in-depth features and investigative stories. He wrote Sucking the Marrow Out of Life: The John Maclean Story, published by Pier 9.