Ostrich racing originated in Africa and eventually made its way over to the United States. Ostriches can reach a surprising speed of 43 miles an hour, and their legs can reach up to 16 feet in one single stride. During a game of ostrich racing, people sit on ostriches and race them around a track.
As its name might suggest, chessboxing is a combination of two traditional sports: chess and boxing. The game alternates between serious games of chess and intense rounds of boxing.
Underwater hockey is exactly what it sounds like — a game of hockey, but underwater. It was invented in the United Kingdom in 1954.
In the very disturbing game of toe wrestling, two people lock feet and battle with their toes, attempting to pin each other's foot down.
Zorbing is the act of racing in a large, transparent ball down hills, through water, or other obstacles.
Shovel racing, which involves sitting on a shovel and racing down an icy hill, made its way to the very first Winter X-Games in 1997. There was a hectic crash that severely injured a competitor, which meant that shovel racing's first X-Games appearance was also its last.
Sporthocking, also known as extreme sitting, began in Germany. The sport uses a specialized stool to perform tricks — much like skateboard tricks — and land in a sitting position on the stool.
Wife carrying originated in Finland and made its way to North America in 1999. The sport involves a man carrying a woman — who are not required to be legally married — on his back, running through obstacles along the way. If the man drops his partner, their team must add five seconds to their time. The team who finishes the course with the fastest time wins.
Elephant polo is just like regular polo, except on an elephant — it even requires the same equipment. This sport is popular in Nepal, India, and Thailand.
Cycleball is a competition between two teams of two, played on bicycles with no breaks. Their goal is to get the ball into the goal using only their wheels and their heads. Players are allowed to use their hands on defense, but not on offense.
Sepak takraw, which originated in Asia, is like volleyball, except the players must use their feet to get the ball over the net. Players are allowed to use any part of their body to keep the ball in the air, except for their arms or hands.
Source: Sepak Takraw