Our most unusual sports from around the world

Every country has a national sport and some popular sports are now played across the world. However, in most countries, people also play unusual sports, with strange or interesting rules. Here are our top five unusual sports from around the planet.

Man vs. Horse Marathon (马拉松)

This race takes place in a small town in Wales, about 200 miles from London. It’s called a marathon, but it’s actually 35. 4 km, not 42. 2 km like a usual marathon. People race against horses across the hills and mountains. It started in 1981, but a human did not win until 2004.

Camel Wrestling (摔跤)

In Turkey, camel (骆驼) wrestling is a very old sport. The largest camel wrestling competition takes place every year and thousands of people come. In the sport, two camels fight against each other. Sometimes the camels do not want to fight and they run through the crowds, which can be dangerous.

Dragon Boat Racing

Every year in China, thousands of people watch dragon boat races. A dragon boat is a traditional Chinese boat with a painted dragon’s head on one end. There can be up to 36 people or more racing in each boat in the water. Dragon boat racing is also popular in some other Asian countries.

Caber Toss (投掷)

In this sport players compete to throw a large piece of wood called a caber as far as they can. There is no rule about the size of the caber, but it’s usually the size of a small tree. It’s an ancient Scottish sport Visitors to the UK can check it out.

Chess Boxing (拳击)

A good chess boxer needs to be both strong and smart. Players play a round of chess, followed by a round of boxing. There are eleven rounds in total. Chess boxing was invented in 1992 by an English comic book writer. The sport is more popular in England and Germany.