The Ultimate Quirky Sports Guide

If you're getting bored of playing the same old sports every day then you might be looking for something a little bit ‘out there' to try your hand at, instead. Thanks to this weird and wonderful world there are hundreds of quirky sports that you can enjoy, as well as compete in. Here are some of the most intriguing.

Chess Boxing

If you're looking for a sport that mixes your brilliant brains with your incredible strength, then chess boxing is the one for you. What started off as an idea in a graphic novel has now become a sport that is played by many brainy and brawny competitors. Participants have to play a round of chess, then a round of boxing, and so on. The winner can be determined by knockout, checkmate or on the judge's decision. You'll find tournaments played in the UK and Germany although this sport hopes to expand its reach worldwide soon.

Eukonkanto (Wife Carrying)

This Finnish sport has its own festival, taking place in July every year. The winner bags themselves the Eukonkanto champion title, a mobile phone and their wife's weight in beer; perfect! You don't have to be married to take part in this, as any woman will do. They do have to be under 49kg and over the age of 17, however. Other rules include a 15 second fine for dropping or bouncing the wife, and that you must have fun. We're booking our tickets to Finland now.

Nutria Hunting

Although most types of hunting are largely banned now, there is one shooting sport which has actually risen in popularity. Nutria Hunting is big business in some states of America, especially Louisiana. Part of a control program, in order to keep down the rising number of these rodents, it is perfectly legal to hunt for Nutria without a permit. Many Louisiana residents grab their guns, their 7.62x39 ammo in bulk and head to the marshlands to control the Nutria population, whilst enjoying one of the oldest sports on the planet; hunting.

Street Luge

Most of us will have seen a version of this sport at the Winter Olympics, but not many of us will have seen it being played on tarmac. Instead of sliding down slippery snow, those who compete in street luge do so on dry land. First discovered by skateboarders attempting to break speed records, street luge has now become a popular sport worldwide. Competitions are widely regulated, with safety equipment aplenty.

Underwater Hockey

Last up, a sport that looks like something has gone wrong; perhaps the ice has melted during a hockey game? Actually, underwater hockey is perfectly normal and a sport that is growing quickly in popularity. Played just like normal hockey, players have sticks and a puck to score goals in their competitors nets. The only difference is that competitors have to wear a snorkel and occasionally come up for air. If you're not a hockey fan then there's also underwater rugby to try out.

How many of these quirky sports have you ever heard of? How many do you want to try? It won't be long before these weird and wonderful sports take over our TVs and our Olympic games!