Believe it or not, these sports actually exist. We as sports enthusiasts have focused in on our mainstream sporting events. You’ve got your soccer, football, basketball, and baseball headlining the list. And then of course there are the cricket and rugby enthusiasts not too far behind. But some of these sports listed below are so odd, that it is hard to believe they actually exist. Yes, we're talking about the  most unusual sports in the world.

10 Most Unusual Sports Around the World

Here is a list of the ten most unusual sports in the world:

Chess Boxing 

The most unlikely of activities you’d ever think to pair together. But lo and behold someone managed to do it and had the gall to consider it a sport. Competitors alternate from chess and boxing after each round, requiring both the brains and the brawn most athletes seldom have to put together. The game begins with a four-minute round of chess, and is followed by a two-minute round of boxing. It’s a pretty simple game plan, either take your opponent down with a checkmate or a KO. This sport is popular in Germany and England, but surprisingly enough, it is gaining some international traction.

Zorbing

Must people who own a television have seen those plastic inflatable orbs that people can climb inside and propel themselves around like a hamster. Well, Zorbing is basically the human version of the hamster ball, but with purpose: be the first to reach the bottom of the hill.

Buzkashi

Believe it or not, this is the national sport of Afghanistan. In order to win, horseback riders must seize a decapitated mid-size animal (typically a calf, goat, or sheep), ride around some obstacles and return the animal carcass to a circle. Pretty easy, right? Now throw in another hundred horseback riders trying to do the same thing as you while stopping at nothing to steal the headless animal.

Wife Carrying

Forget couples therapy when you have the ultra-competitive sport of wife carrying. Husbands carry their significant others across the finish line on their backs. But this isn’t no piggy-back ride. The ladies straddle themselves upside down with their legs over their husband’s shoulders, while wrapping their arms around his waist and getting an up close and personal shot of his butt. The best part… The winning prize is his wife’s weight in beer… Where do I sign up?

Underwater Hockey 

To be quite honest, this seems like it would be really hard. It is just as you’d expect, ice hockey being played underwater. All the rules are the same with one exception, the hockey sticks are far smaller than an ice hockey stick and the puck is metal.

Extreme Ironing 

Wow. You have to be a pretty extreme adrenaline junky to find this one exhilarating. Or, you’re just really good and doing your laundry. Basically just find a crazy way to iron your clothes, like while skydiving or wakeboarding. Get it done with a white shirt without burning a hole in it or dying, and you’re considered a bonafide pro.

Cheese Rolling

I guess some people just really like their dairy products. This sport involves a wheel of cheese, a hill, and a bunch of people not afraid to stare lactose intolerance in the eye. The wheel of cheese is thrown down a hill and hundreds of people chase after it. First person to get the cheese across the finish line wins. Think Buzkashi minus the bloodlust.

Bed Racing 

Laziness has never been so competitive. This sport is a favorite of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Teams of six with one athlete laying on the bed race their bed-like contraptions around the course. The bed must be able to travel on four wheels, be able to float, and have decorations for the year’s theme. This grueling 3k trek requires competitors to cross a river.

Street Luge

At least most of us have actually seen or heard of this sport. The only reason it makes the list is because you have to be out of your mind to do it. Racers lay flat on a retro-fitted skateboard luge and bomb paved roads down steep declines. Competitors wear leather abrasion suits and gloves to avoid road rash, and are typically wearing racing helmets and thick-soled shoes doubling as their brakes.

Shin Kicking

If none of the sports listed above seem odd enough, you should give shin kicking a whirl. The name pretty much says it all: Grapple you opponent and literally go toe to toe with him until either one of you cower to the ground in defeat. Leave it to the English to be the founders of this sporting spectacle. And would you believe there is a World Shin Kicking Championship each year at the Cotsworld Olympic Games that draws thousands of spectators.

The Most Unusual Sports' Participants Need Protective Gear

One thing that seems to be missing from these exciting and strange international sports is protective gear. They seem dangerous enough to cause injury, especially to the eyes. Before you participate in any sport, unusual or not, ensure your vision is protected with sports glasses or sports goggles by Goggles N More.

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