WEIRD STRANGE SPORTS: Browse through this comprehensive list of weird and wonderful sports from all over the world.

There is no shortage of regular sports rules and regulations online for research and entertainment. Most participants would call them a list of ‘normal‘ sports and games.

Those popular sporting events and competitions get played by millions of athletes worldwide. It is the essence of sport as we know it.

Then there are some activities that most competitors go nowhere near! You might call them the ‘oddball and wacky‘ type.

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A-Z List of Weird Sports Rules

If you are into strange extreme sports and crazy pastimes you are in the right place. Check through the list of weird sports rules and peculiar or weird games. This section also shares the strange achievements and crazy innovation of those intrepid individuals.

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Axe Throwing

Axe throwers hurl an axe at a target while trying to hit the bull’s eye. You are most likely to see the offbeat sport of Axe Throwing at lumberjack competitions.

As a rule there are five rings on the target in Axe Throwing competitions. Landing the axe in the outside ring is worth 1 point. The second ring is worth 2 points, and so on.

Throwing the axe into the bull’s eye has a value of 5 points. During the game each player takes 5 throws with a possible maximum score of 25 points.

Blindfold Boxing

This weird sport is definitely not for ‘normal’ boxers. Yes, they fight in a ring, poised for combat. But they do so while blindfolded!

As you might expect, there is no shortage of wild punches. Most of them fail to make contact with anything (except fresh air). It looks a lot like shadow boxing at first.

Blindfold boxing has been officially billed as the ‘craziest sport of all time’. The contenders box blindfolded, often with four boxers in the same ring. The referee, if there is one, points out key blindfold boxing rules – No Peeping!

Bog Snorkelling

Do you fancy joining in the weird sport of Bog Snorkelling? As a rule the competition takes place over a 55 meter stretch of water.

Bog snorkellers will often use a water trench carved out of a peat bog to have fun. The bog is usually comprised of dead plant material.

Bog Snorkeling competitors wear snorkels and flippers. They cannot use traditional swimming techniques. Instead they use flipper power to move through the water.

Bossaball

Take the cool moves from soccer and add in a little gymnastics. Then mix it all up over a net on a huge inflatable trampoline.

Playing Bossaball rules seems to have combined the best actions from many of its rival extreme sports. The zany sport was developed around 2004 by Filip Eyckmans.

You use the kicking moves like soccer football and the acrobatics used in gymnastics. Look carefully and you will also see a portion of Brazilian martial arts ‘capoeira’.

Cheese Rolling

There are an increasing number of way out sports involving rolling hills. But only a few of them include a wheel of cheese.

Cheese Rolling competitors race after the huge lump of cheese rolling down the hill. The first person to reach the finish line at the bottom wins the cheese.

One such annual event is the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. It takes place in spring time near Gloucester, England. A 9lb round of cheese gets rolled from the top of a steep hill.

Chess Boxing

The oddball combination hybrid sport of chess rules and boxing is Chessboxing. It first appeared on the world stage around 1992.

The rules of Chess Boxing combine the physical challenge of boxing with the mental workout of blitz chess rounds.

Chess Boxing is a zany, relatively new sport which requires a portion of brain power and an even larger helping of brawn from its participants. They are the ones who battle wit with grit.

Cycle Ball

Cycle ball is also known as ‘Cycleball’ or even ‘Radball’. It is like playing a game of soccer football but it gets played on bicycles.

As a rule the bicycles have fixed gears and there are is no braking system. In most games there will be two teams with 2 players on each team.

Cycleball players use their bike to control, pass, flick, and move the ball around. The aim is to get the ball into the opposing team’s goal.

Dwarf Throwing

No matter what you call it, midget throwing or dwarf-tossing, throwing a little person around is a weird sport in any list!

As you might guess, it is mostly a pub or bar game attraction. Dwarfism-affected persons get thrown on to a mattress or a Velcro wall.

As a rule the midgets wear special padded clothing or Velcro costumes. The aim for participating throwers is to throw the padded dwarfs the greatest distance.

Extreme Ironing

Not only is ‘Extreme Ironing‘ an abnormal sport it is also a dangerous sport. People take ironing boards to various extreme and remote places.

The aim of the far out sport is to iron clothes in strange places and take a picture to prove you achieved it.

Some of the weirdest locations for Extreme Ironing Rules are underwater and in the middle of a motorway. There are also pictures of these extremists skiing, on cliff tops, and parachuting.

Giant Pumpkin Kayaking

Weird sports do not get much weirder than Giant Pumpkin Kayaking. Participants enjoy kayaking inside a giant, hollowed-out pumpkin.

One famous race takes place in Nova Scotia. Lake Pesaquid is the venue for the annual Windsor Pumpkin Regatta.

This particular course is a half-mile long. You often see competitors decorating their pumpkins with flags and paint.

Ham National (Pig Racing)

The Royal Norfolk Show is the best place to see ‘streaking bacon’. In fact, pig racing has become the star attraction in the annual ‘Ham National’ event.

The competition features several different pig breeds. You will see piglets race along the 80 metre (262 feet) course that also contains three jumps.

There may be some who consider pig racing at the two-day agricultural show in Norfolk as a cruel animal sport. Rest assured, forcing a pig to do anything it doesn’t want to is a challenge in itself.

Motoball

What do you get if you combine motorbikes and a large football? The answer could be the unnatural sport of ‘Motoball’ of course.

The European Championships represent the pinnacle of this activity. In fact, they even promote it on the official Motoball UK Facebook page.

Motoball is a high-octane, fast-paced, football game played while riding a 250cc motorbike. What’s even stranger is that the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) sanctions Motoball rules and regulations.

Mud-Pit Belly Flop

The Mud-Pit Belly Flop is a huge event in some parts of the world. It is certainly not a flop at the ‘Redneck Games’.

As you might expect the activity takes place in a giant mud pit. As a rule it is the crowd who chooses the winner.

They judge who makes the biggest and muddiest splash. The winner of the mud-pit belly flop receives a well-earned trophy.

Outhouse Racing

To take part in this weird sport you need an outhouse or outdoor toilet. Then you can join in the fun of Outhouse Racing.

Outhouses must be kitted up with wheels, functioning brakes, and a steering system. It gets raced down hills once a competitor is sitting on the toilet seat inside.

Many of the participants choose to decorate their outhouses with zany names like ‘Royal Flush’. The first outhouse to cross the finishing line wins the race.

Parkour

Parkour is a worthy inclusion in this list of weird sports. It involves the act of climbing, running, jumping, and swinging.

All these activities take place using military obstacle course training techniques. Thus, it can also be a dangerous sport too.

Parkouring often takes place in urban environments. The aim is to get from one point to another as quickly and as efficiently as possible. But, you cannot use any specialised equipment.

Pickleball

The sociable game of pickleball is a paddle sport for all ages and a variety of skill levels. Pickleball rules are simple to understand and the game is easy for beginners to learn.

But, the fun and friendly game can quickly develop into a fast-paced, competitive activity. You can play pickleball as a game of doubles or singles.

Pickleball combines the basic elements of badminton rules, tennis, and ping-pong. You can play indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net. Players use a paddle and a plastic wiffle ball with holes in it.

Quidditch

Harry Potter fans might be familiar with the wacky sport of Quidditch. It was J.K. Rowling who invented it in her Harry Potter series.

Quidditch comprises 2 teams of 7 players. They are all mounted on broomsticks with 4 different balls and goals on either side of the pitch.

Nowadays the game has since seen some adaptation for the real world. The modern game has the aim of scoring more goals than the other team before the ‘snitch’ gets caught.

Running of the Bulls

The Running of the Bulls has taken place each summertime for many years in Spain. The traditional and famous event takes place in Pamplona.

It is a dangerous event where patrons run in front of 6 loose bulls that are charging around the streets of the town.

Each year around 100 injuries get reported and there have been at least 15 deaths since 1910.

Snail Racing

Picture a race between ordinary garden snails and you have the ingredients for Snail Racing. These events take place all over the world.

As a rule they race the snails on a 14 inch circular track. The snails start the race from the center outwards.

The winner is the first snail to reach the outer perimeter. Snail owners often stick racing numbers or fun stickers on the snail’s shells to distinguish each competitor.

Toe Wrestling

You have heard of thumb wrestling or arm wrestling rules right? So how about a spot of toe wrestling for a change?

Toe wrestling is one of those strange sports involving two competitors who lock bare feet.

They attempt to pin down their opponent’s foot to the ground for at least 3 full seconds. As a rule they play 3 rounds so the winner would be the best out of three.

Underwater Football

Underwater Football is an unusual game variation of standard football. It usually gets played in a swimming pool.

As a rule two teams of players use snorkeling kits to submerge underwater. There are several variants to Underwater Football rules.

They play with a weighted football trying to score in a gutter sunk on each side of the pool. Some variations of Underwater Football use a toy torpedo shooting into weighted goals at the bottom of the pool.

Underwater Hockey

The term ‘Octopush’ is often used in Underwater Hockey rules. It is a hockey game played at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Players try to push the puck into the opponent’s team goal using a small stick or pusher.

As a rule the game gets played by 2 teams of up to 10 players in each team. Underwater Hockey players often use diving fins, masks, and snorkeling gear.

Underwater Rugby

Imagine a two rugby teams playing a match in a swimming pool and you have Underwater Rugby.

Each team uses full snorkeling equipment. They try to score goals at the bottom of the pool.

Underwater Rugby players use a weighted rugby ball filled with saltwater. The ball must not leave the water and it only travels about 3 meters when you pass it through the water.

Unicycle Basketball

The crazy sport of Unicycle Basketball is a variation of the traditional game. But players use unicycles to play.

The standard basketball rules apply. Players dribble the ball whilst riding their unicycle and try to score in the other team’s hoop.

Unicycle Basketball gets played on a regulation basketball court. As a rule most players use 24 inch unicycles.

Unicycle Hockey

Unicycle Hockey Rules is certainly up there in the list of weird and wonderful sports. Playing hockey on unicycles is as crazy as it sounds.

The team will usually have 5 players. All Unicycle Hockey players must keep both feet on the unicycle at all times during the game.

Players use standard ice hockey sticks and a tennis ball. The aim of this outlandish game is to score points by getting hitting the ball into the opponent’s goal net.

Unicycle Polo

There are weird sports and then there are some very strange entries in an unusual sports list. Unicycle Polo is all of them added together.

Unicycle Polo players use unicycles instead of horses such as those used in polo rules and regulations.

They still use the standard long-handed mallet and a wooden ball. Also like traditional Polo the aim is to score goals while riding on one wheeled cycles.

Wife Carrying

The original Wife Carrying event was invented in Finland. It is a sport involving a male and female teammate competitor.

As a rule, challengers race against each other through 2 dry obstacles and 1 water obstacle approximately 1 meter deep.

To make the sport a little weirder they do all this whilst carrying a female teammate on their back. The female must weigh at least 108 lb. (49 kg) otherwise extra weight will get added to her.

Wood Chopping

Wood Chopping competitions are common and popular throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The aim of a wood chopping competition is to be the fastest ‘axeman’ to chop or saw your way through a block of wood or log.

These strange and unusual competitions are often found at Highland Games event or similar. They take place at state fairs and agricultural shows and have been around since 1870.

Worm Charming

We think we found the strangest sport from this list of weird sports. Worm charming is a worthy contender if not the winner.

Why would you want to attract earthworms out of the ground? Even so, competitors try to charm the most worms within a set time and zone on the ground.

Sophie Smith from England was 10 years old when set the world record with 567 worms in 2009. Yuk!

Zorbing

Zorbing is a recreational sport where participants roll down a hill in a transparent plastic orb. Perhaps we mean a large ‘hamster ball’.

As a rule Zorbing takes place on rolling hill sides but people often use them on water and other flat surfaces.

A harnessed orb will carry 1 or 2 passengers whereas three people often go Zorbing in orbs without a harness.

Zorb Football

Zorb Soccer, or bubble football, is a high-tempo 5-a-side game with real ‘bounce‘ in the action. It is popular at birthday parties and stag or hen nights.

It is a fun alternative to the real ‘beautiful game’ played in an inflatable bubble (called a body zorb). Soccer skills are not required to play zorb football.

Two teams will play a match. As a rule, there can be up to five players in each team. Official zorb football rules say there must be one female on the field at all times during play for each team.

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