Not all sports involve stadiums, teams, or even logic. Around the world, people have created competitions so bizarre, you’ll wonder how they became a “thing.”
From toe-wrestling madness to underwater hockey, here are 8 of the weirdest, “WTF” sports on Earth.
1. Extreme Ironing (Worldwide)
Take your ironing board to wild places—mountains, forests, rivers, even underwater—and iron clothes in extreme environments.
History: A British man named Phil Shaw came up with this sport in 1997. He had a quandary – should I iron my clothes for this meeting or go rock climbing? He decided the answer is – YES. In the 2000s, people started replicating this extreme idea, ironing underwater, on cliffs, or moving vehicles. By 2002, it became official when the Extreme Ironing World Championships were held in Germany. Someone needs to tell them the iron isn’t plugged in.
✅ Combines adrenaline with crisp creases.
📍 Popular in the UK, but now global.
2. Wife Carrying (Finland)
Teams (usually husband and wife) race through an obstacle course—with the wife being carried, not running. The wife will be held in place by the man on his body while he endures the course. The man can either fireman’s carry her, the wife can simply jump on his back, or he can hold her Estonian style. This is where the wife hangs upside down with her legs resting over the man’s shoulders, hooking her legs together at the ankle to stay in place (you will see example below).
History: There’s a bit of a dark past with this competition. The sport is believed to date back to the late 1800s in Finland, inspired by the legend of a bandit named Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen (aka “Ronkainen the Robber”). To prove their toughness, new recruits had to carry heavy sacks—or women—on their backs while running through obstacle courses like muddy forests and rocky hills. Ronkainen and his gang were said to raid villages and steal food, booze, and sometimes women. In 1992, though, this now legal and consensual competition became an official Sport.
🏆 Prize: the wife’s weight in beer.
💡 Signature technique: Estonian carry (over the shoulders, upside down).
3. Shin Kicking (England)
Two opponents grab each other’s collars and try to kick each other in the shins until one falls down.
History: This extreme and painful sport started in England in the 1600s. Shin Kicking became famous while being a part of the Cotswold Olimpicks, a traditional folk event held in Chipping Campden, England. The sport grew in popularity due to its ruthless and violent nature. We’re a real sick society.
Two contestants:
- Hold each other by the shoulders or collars
- Try to kick each other in the shins as hard as possible
- The goal is to knock your opponent to the ground
Whoever stays standing wins the round.
🥋 Protective straw in pants is allowed.
🩸 Still hurts like hell.
4. Underwater Hockey (Global)
Also called Octopush, this sport is played at the bottom of a pool, using a small puck and short sticks. Players must hold their breath between dives. Another sport that began in England in 1954, this wet and wild competition can be hilarious.
History: Octopush was invented by Alan Blake, a member of the Southsea Sub-Aqua Club in Portsmouth, England. Blake wanted a way to keep divers fit and engaged during the cold winter months when diving in the ocean was tough. So he created a game that could be played in a swimming pool, using basic diving equipment and a puck. The idea is to push the puck across the pool floor into an opposing team’s next. Thus, Octopush was born—named for the way players push the puck along the bottom of the pool.
🌬 No tanks or snorkel while pushing.
🏊♂️ It’s chess… underwater… while gasping.
5. Toe Wrestling (UK)
It’s like arm wrestling, but with toes. Competitors link toes and try to force each other’s foot to the ground.
History: Toe Wrestling was invented in 1976 in the UK, in a pub (of course) in the village of Wetton, Staffordshire. According to legend, a group of friends were tired of the lack of British superiority in International Sports. So why not just create one instead that only the British will want to play? The result was Toe wrestling. A bizarre combination of arm wrestling and footsie, but more aggressive.
🥇 There are world championships.
🚫 No socks allowed.
6. Rock, Paper, Scissors Championship (Global)
Yes, the childhood hand game has serious leagues, prize money, and strategy.
History: It’s said that this sport had been created by the Chinese over 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty. It was known as “shoushiling” (meaning “hand command”). It spread to Japan by the 17th century and evolved into the version called “Jan-Ken”, which uses the familiar hand signs:
Rock (fist), Paper (flat hand), Scissors (two fingers)
Jan-Ken is the version that spread globally and became what we now call Rock Paper Scissors. Now it’s a global competition and used in everyday life to see who gets shotgun, the last cheeseburger or simply for fun.
🧠 Mind games and psychologya are involved.
🎮 Trash talk included.
7. Camel Wrestling (Turkey)
Two male camels are encouraged to fight during mating season. The first to run or fall loses.
History: An ancient and unusual sport still carried on today, this competition has roots in Central Asia. The early settlers noticed that male camels would naturally fight, and so, instead of stopping it, they were entertained by it. It became an organized tradition during the Ottoman Empire over 2,400 years ago. The sport is now deeply tied to Turkish culture – the Aegean Region hosts many festivals in which this sport is included. Thousands of spectators come to see it.
How the matches work: Only male camels (called Tülü) are allowed to compete. They are often brought near a female camel in heat to increase aggression. The camels are guided into a sand arena, where they use their necks and legs to try to force the other camel to kneel or flee. Handlers and referees stand by to stop fights before they get too intense or dangerous. I won’t share a vid on this one. Please go check it out on your own. Below is a picture of a happy camel I remember from my childhood:
🎭 The crowd? Wild.
🐪 Totally legal (and controversial).
8. Egg Throwing (Global)
Two-person teams toss raw eggs across increasing distances. The goal: catch it without breaking.
History: While the exact origin of egg throwing is a bit scrambled in history, the earliest stories trace back to medieval England, around the 14th century. One legend from a Lincolnshire monastery says that this eventually turned into a game, and then a competitive sport. The local abbot (Church leader) would give out eggs to poor villagers on Easter. To avoid crowds, he’d toss them from a tower, and people would catch them in cloths or baskets.
🚀 Some tosses reach over 100 feet.
😆 Splatter is inevitable.
Final Word
From mud trenches to mountains, humans will compete at anything. These weird sports might seem ridiculous, but behind the laughs are real skills, communities, and in some cases—championship titles. People take these competitions seriously. It’s a part of their tradition or culture. Some of these might seem weird to you, but it’s an annual challenge of wills to others.
What’s the weirdest sport you’d try?
Tag someone who would dominate in toe wrestling or extreme ironing. 😅
