More and more new sports are emerging in the world, both professional and amateur. There are also sports that remain in the shadows, despite the large number of fans. Few people know about them.
Sepak Takraw – Malay volleyball
This type of volleyball is especially popular in southeast Asia. The ball for it is made of straw and plastic. The game involves two teams of four people – three play, the fourth remains in reserve. As in traditional volleyball, the ball is thrown over the net, but not with the hands, but with the feet and head. Play to 21 points. A win in two sets is a team win.
Underwater hockey
This is a very traumatic version of ice hockey. More precisely, ice hockey is a children’s game before underwater hockey, because every player can drown. Two teams of 12 people play in a 3-meter deep pool. Each player wears a mask, fins, gloves, and a swimming cap. Each one has a breathing tube and a small stick. Over a 15-minute period, a lead puck is moved along the bottom into the opposing team’s goal. From time to time, players surface to replenish their air supply. When the game is too intense, spectators see only stormy waves on the surface. The first World Championship in this sport took place in 1980. But even today few people know about it.
Quidditch
This sport combines magic, athleticism and a mild bloodlust, reminiscent of Harry Potter. In 2022, the sport was renamed quadball or quadball. Members of two teams of 7 players run across the field riding on brooms with rings at the ends of the handles. The goal is to hit the hoop at the end of your opponent’s broom with the ball. Both teams have gender balance. The rules of the game are regulated by the International Association. They are almost no different from the rules of the game in the book about Harry Potter.
Buzkashi
This is an equestrian game in the countries of Central Asia. Translated, the term “buzkashi” sounds like “pulling a goat.” The goat carcass must be captured from the enemy and thrown into his goal. At the same time, there are many prohibitions: using physical force against an opponent, grabbing him with your hands, arguing and talking during the game, and many others. The basis of the game is an ancient legend about the protection of domestic animals from wolves, the games of shepherds with the carcass of a killed predator.
Running with your wives on your back
A simple sport of Finnish origin is an International competition. His condition: carry his wife on his back along a gravel and sand path a little longer than 250 meters. There are obligatory obstacles on the track. The competition has been held every year since 1995. Couples from different countries take part. As a prize, the man receives a keg of beer weighing as much as his wife.
Not everyone may enjoy athletic competitions such as throwing a toilet bowl or falling belly-first into a mud pit. However, it is a fun sporting activity for the country people of Ireland. Each participant and spectator must have a good sense of humor.
