THE Sochi Winter Olympics is in full swing and you must be cheering for your favourite teams! Or not. After all the Winter Olympics have never really been popular in Pakistan, even though this time around there’s a Pakistani skier taking part in them! But it does give us an opportunity to tell you all about the strange, silly and sometimes scary sports that people play all over the world … some of which were once even part of the Olympics, but not any longer because they were considered too bizarre to be a part of a high-profile gaming event!

Egg rolling

HAVE you ever thought your healthy, protein-rich breakfast can be a source of fun as well! As part of Easter tradition, hard boiled and decorated eggs are used for a eggs rolling contest and the event takes place in Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire, England. Children roll the eggs down a hill and the egg which goes farthest without getting cracked decides the winner. The fun event also takes place at White House, US, every Easter. In England, egg rolling is known as pace-egging.

Chess boxing

THOSE of you who think that boxing is all about brawn and not brains, and chess is all about brains and not brawn, are in for a surprise because both these games require both these qualities. Yes, there is a hybrid sport that combines chess with boxing in alternating rounds, called chess boxing. It was invented by Dutchman Iepe Rubingh, in 2003, who was inspired by the French comic book Equator Cold (Froid Équateur).

CHESS boxing organisations then sprouted up in many countries where chess boxing events are now held, most popularly in London and Berlin. Competitors begin play alternating rounds of chess and boxing — six rounds of chess (each round is four minutes long) and five rounds of boxing (three minutes long) with a one-minute break between each round. The players wear headphones during the chess rounds to block the live chess commentary and the audience.

Octopus wrestling

WELL, this extreme sport requires building your muscles first, as a diver is required to wrestle with a large octopus in shallow water and drags it to the surface.

The strange wrestling was quite popular on the West Coast of the United States during the 1960s when annual World Octopus Wrestling Championships were held in Puget Sound, Washington. The event was broadcast and attracted up to 5,000 spectators.

Extreme ironing

IRONING clothes is not fun but there’s a game that requires its participants to iron their clothes at ‘unusual’ locations, making it really a challenging and thrilling activity!

The contestants called ‘ironists’ take with them their ironing board, iron and wrinkled clothes to any extreme place. They are also required to photograph themselves while ironing in order to prove what they did, as the judges don’t accompany them.

The places that have been chosen for this game included extreme heights, underwater, hanging from cliffs, and on top of vehicles. Strange! How do they do that!

Pea shooting

THE game comes in the category of vegetable fights. A word of caution: don’t try this at home, it will definitely make your mum angry and who knows you might get to eat ‘only’ vegetables as a punishment!

Coming back to the pea shooting … Witcham, a small village near Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, is the venue of the World Pea Shooting Championship in which contestants shoot dried peas out of a tube by blowing through it at a target. The target is similar to those used for archery but make of a soft substance so that the peas will stick into it or at least leave a mark. Laser-guided shooters are also allowed in this game.

Worm charming

IF you think that a worm is only good for fishing, think again! In Willaston, Cheshire, UK, The World Worm Charming Championship is held annually where participants have to charm as many worms as they can in half an hour from a plot of three metres square each.

Starting in 1980 as a fundraising event, the Worm Charming Championship has 18 rules governing the event where almost any method can be used except the use of washing detergent.

A ten-year-old girl set the world record in 2009, when she managed to 'charm' 567 worms from the soil. The trophy comes in the shape of a golden worm and the title is held for a year.

Bed racing

HOW would it feel to lie on a moving bed? Pretty rocking, huh? Yes, people do have a rocking time when participating in a bed race in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire,UK, where the annual Knaresborough Bed Race is held.

In the event, first staged in 1966 for fundraising, 90 teams of six runners push the bed and there is a passenger on the bed. The bed is supported by four wheels and is designed to float as well.

The challenging 2.4 mile course is gruelling as it stretches across parkland, cobbled stones of the marketplace and at one point there is a sharp drop and finally the notorious 20-yard swim across the fast-flowing Nidd. Similar events also take place in the USA, Germany, New Zealand and other places in the UK.

Oil wrestling

WELL this seems quite weird! This contest requires the participants to coat their bodies with oil and wrestle the other to the ground.

Dating back to 1357, oil wrestling was part of a festival celebrating Ottoman victory and used to be celebrated in Kirkpinar, Edirne Turkey. The competition takes place in June each year.

Sheep counting

YOU don’t just count sheep when you are trying to go to sleep, you can even do it for some fun. Sheep counting is actually an Australian sport that began in 2006. It’s a simple game in which 400 sheep rush through 10 participants who are required to count the sheep accurately. The winner is, of course, the one who gets the number of sheep right.

If you have practiced counting sheep late into the night and think you are good at it, why not be a part of this competition that takes place in New South Wales.

Lizard racing

ARE you scared of lizards? Then this, definitely, is not for you! An easy to set up event, lizard racing involves these natural racers — they are placed in the centre of a ring and the first one to touch the edge is the winner.

Every year around August/ September, a Lizard Racing Championship is held at the Paroo Track in Queensland, Australia.

Bicycle polo

NOT exclusively for kings, polo is also a common man’s sport when it’s played on bicycles. In 1891, Retired cyclist Richard J. Mecredy formulated the game in County Wicklow, Ireland.

You can call it alternative polo or alternative cycling, and it’s a good way to workout too.

DISCONTINUED OLYMPIC SPORTS

Tug of war

TUG of war was contested in the Ancient Olympics in 500BC and it remained a part of the Olympics Games held between 1900 to1920. Most medals were won by the British. It’s no more a part of Olympics, but is played as a separate sport.

Distance plunging

THIS was an insane competition that was held only once in 1904 was won by William Dickey, an American. It’s interesting to note that all participants were Americans. The contest required the participants to dive into the pool and remain still for a minute or until their head comes out of water, after which their distance was measured.

Swimming obstacle race

HELD only once during the 1900 Olympics and won by Frederick Lane of Australia, this unusual fun race was swam over 200 metres and competitors were required to first swim to a pole, climb up and down the pole, then swim a bit, mount over two boats, swim under two more boats and then swim to the finish.

Rope climbing

INFREQUENTLY played between 1896 and 1932, rope climbing was actually a part of the gymnastics programme and the first competition was won by a Greek athlete Nikolaus Andriakopoulos.