These 15 traditional games from around the world are wildly dangerous
In the village of Studenicani, near Macedonia's capital city of Skopje, men cover their bodies in oil before competing in the country's traditional wrestling competition. In nearby Turkey, oil wrestling is the national sport.
Bavarian men try to pull one another across the table as part of the country's traditional finger pulling championship, called "Fingerhakeln."
An exhibition game of Maya Ball takes place in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The aim of the ancient game is to hit the ball through a hoop on the side of a wall.
In the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, men on horseback wrestle one another trying to dismount their opponent during the Kyrgyz horse games and festival.
The South African tradition known as "Musangwe" pits young men and boys from the Venda tribe against one other in contests of bare-knuckle boxing.
The national sport of Afghanistan is "buzkashi." Riders on horseback must carry a headless goat corpse from one end of the stadium to the other as opponents try to steal it from them.
In Malta's traditional version of "gostra," young men, women, and children must scale a greased-up pole and retrieve one of the flags to win prizes. The game dates back to the Middle Ages.
In three minutes, men from Jiaxing, in China's Zhejiang province, must wrestle a full-grown bull to the ground. The competition is called "Guanniu."
Despite a heavy rainstorm, Guizhou province, China, holds a dragon boat race during its annual Dragon Boat Festival.
On 'Shrove Tuesday' and Ash Wednesday in central England, players on two teams — the Up'ards and Down'ards — hit a ball the length of three miles to knock it against a stone pedestal.
Tree-climbing is a tradition in Kosovo. During the Rugova Traditional Games, held during the first week in August, participants scale a 26-foot-tall pole without any tools whatsoever.
"Kabbadi," a roughed-up version of tag played in northern India, requires players to catch their opponents in specific territories on the field all while repeating the word "Kabbadi" aloud.
In Kazakhstan, hunters on horseback play tug of war with a goat skin, trying to secure the skin while also drawing their opponents off the horse. The game is popular throughout Central Asia.
During a Lelo match, a 35-pound ball is hoisted overhead by hundreds of participants in Shukhuti, Georgia. The goal is to move the ball from one village to another, all while each participant fights for control.
Cheese-rolling is a fan favorite in the UK and New Zealand. The below competition takes place in Gloucester, in southern England, beginning on a near-vertical hill.
Participants run full-speed downhill to catch the rolling wedge.
Inevitably, there are spills.
But like all dangerous sports, the thrill of victory trumps all.
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