There are all sorts of sports out there that you probably have never heard of. Whether this is because it is just a boring sport or has not reached the right audience, it is difficult to tell. However, if you visit a new country or region and see some people playing a rather unusual sport, it is not because they are crazy. It just means it is a sport that has not made its way to you yet. This is a list of 8 little known sports from around the world.
1. Austus: This is a combination of American football and Australian rules rugby. It came about during the second world war when soldiers from the United States were stationed in Australia. The name Austus is simply a combination of the first three letters of Australia and US. The game is not terribly popular any longer as it basically dried up once the Americans returned home after the war.
2. Basque Pelota: This is often referred to as the fastest sport in the world. It is played in Spain, France and throughout Latin America. It is the fast version of handball and did make an appearance in the 1900 Olympic Games in France.
3. Bicycle Polo: Can’t afford a horse? No problem, Bicycle Polo is a sport that came out of Ireland in the late 1800s and is played on a short, grass field. It was demonstrated at the 1908 Olympic Games, but it never really caught on all that much.
4. Elephant Polo: If you can play on a bicycle, you can play on an elephant. This sport took shape once the British colonized India. Instead of using a pitch and a ball, the riders train the elephants to kick a soccer ball, although there are now variations where the riders still use a pitch and polo ball.
5. Bossaball: This is a combination of volleyball, beach soccer and gymnastics, where it is played on an inflated court with a circular trampoline placed on each side of a net. Each team is allowed to touch the ball up to 8 times before serving to the other side.
6. Coal Carrying: On the Monday following Easter every year, the World Coal Carrying Championship takes place in Yorkshire, UK. This event has been going on since 1963, in which each participant must carry 50 kg (around 100 pounds) of coal for a kilometer. The person who runs the distance the fastest wins.
7. International Rules Football: This is a combination of Australian football and Irish football (or Gaelic football). This has been played since 1967, but the rules actually are different for each team, depending on if they are Australian or Irish.
8. Jeu de Paume: This is an early form of tennis that translates to “game of the palm”. It is like squash, but you use your hands instead of a racket. Most of the rules in actual tennis though are similar to this game. It is also known as “Real Tennis.”
So there you go. 8 Sports to choose from if you’re tired of the already known ones and you’d like to stand out of the crowd.
