Biggest Beard Competition
The World Beard and Moustache Championships is a biennial competition in which men with beards and moustaches display lengthy, highly-styled facial hair.The first Championship took place in Höfen-Enz, Germany, in 1990.
On September 1, 2007, competitors of the world's most hirsute faces from the UK, America, Germany and other countries convened for the championships in Brighton. It was hosted by The Handlebar Club with comedy performer and renowned mustache wearer Michael "Atters" Attree acting as Chairman and Master of Ceremonies. Facial hair categories were judged by celebrity mustache wearers including actor/singer Nick Cave and musician/poet Billy Childish. The international event was staged within the Brighton Centers Main Hall. Categories include Dali moustache, goatee and full beard freestyle.
Bog Snorkeling
Bog snorkelling is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog, in the shortest time possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. Wet suits are not compulsory, but are usually worn.
The activity of bog snorkelling was started in 1976 near Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, United Kingdom. It began as a result of an over-the-bar conversation in The Neuadd Arms between Gordon Green and a few regulars.
Boxing with Brains
While on a normal chess championship tour you would be at little risk of bodily injury, the World Chess Boxing Organization hosts different tournaments entirely. These are the only chess players in the world who are at risk of incurring head injuries during a chess match.
The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, (grid reference SO892146) near Gloucester in the Cotswolds region of England. It is traditionally by and for the people who live in the local village of Brockworth, but now people from all over the world take part. The event takes its name from the hill on which it occurs. The event is traditional. In recent years, it has been managed in a quasi-official manner, but the events of 2010 and 2011 took place spontaneously without any management. Spectators were furious at the prospect of being charged a £20 entry fee.
FistBall
Fistball is a sport which is of European origin and is similar to volleyball in that player tries to hit a ball over a net.
The earliest known written mention of the game is by Roman Emperor Gordian III and dates to the year 240. Rules for an Italian version of fistball were recorded by Antonius Scaiono in 1555. In 1786, Johann Wolfgang Goethe mentioned fistball games between 'four noblemen from Verona and four Venetians' in his diary An Italian Journey.
Man versus Horse Marathon
The Man versus Horse Marathon is an annual race over 22 miles, where runners compete against riders on horseback. The race which is not technically a marathon, as the route does not meet the requisite distance takes place in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells every June.
Kickball For Grown-ups
Kickball largely follows the rules of baseball and utilizes many of the same strategies. Most of the differences come in the fact that you are using a fairly large playground ball. The ball is more difficult to catch and throw, but is far easier to connect with than a baseball.
Toe Wrestling
Toe wrestling is a sport gaining popularity in the UK. World championships started in Wetton in the 1970s and are now held at the Bentley Brook Inn in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Top players include Tom "100m" Martin, Paul "Tomatominator" Beech and Alan "fiesty" Nash , who is the current world champion.
Underwater Hockey
Underwater hockey (UWH; also called Octopush and Water Hockey) is a global non-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals.
Wife Carrying
Wife carrying is a sport in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The sport was first introduced at Sonkajärvi, Finland.
Several types of carry may be practised: piggyback, fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around the husband's shoulders, holding onto his waist).
Major wife-carrying competitions are held in Sonkajärvi, Finland (where the prize depends on the wife's weight in beer); Monona, Wisconsin; Minocqua, Wisconsin; and Marquette, Michigan.
The North American Wife Carrying Championships take place every year on Columbus Day Weekend in October at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine.
