The world’s a fascinating place and sports are no different. Here are ten international sports from each corner of the globe for you to check out.
While sports such as soccer, basketball and cricket may dominate much of the world, there are other incredible sports out there to check out or even try your hand at.
Whether you’re into boxing or soccer, racing or baseball, these local variants may just tempt you to give them a go – just take a look at these ten amazing sports from around the world!
1. Arnis, The Philippines
Also known as Eskrima, Arnis is an indigenous martial art where people defend themselves using their open hands, often with improvised weapons or sticks, swords and knives. Whirring at breakneck speed, assailants and defendants go at each other, blocking, parrying and striking as they go! Lots of fun to watch, Arnis demands a lot of technique and stamina from its practitioners.
2. Chess Boxing, Europe
Created by the Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh, chess boxing was originally intended to be an art performance. Now, however, it has morphed into a competitive sport that people call the perfect match of brains versus brawn. With one round of chess followed by a round of boxing, whoever gets a checkmate or KO first wins.
3. Chinlone, Myanmar
The national sport of Myanmar, Chinlone is non-competitive in nature and is almost more of a performance or art form rather than a sport as players are encouraged to pass the ball around as entertainingly and creatively as possible. Created to entertain Burmese royalty in the days of old, Chinlone is beautiful to watch and really showcases Myanmar’s rich cultural heritage.
4. Dandi Biyo, Nepal
Played by two or more players, Dandi Biyo involves a stick and wooden pin, the dandi and biyo respectively, the latter of which is laid across a hole in the floor. The idea is for one player to lever the pin into the air with the stick and for the other(s) to catch it wherever it flies to. Points are also awarded if no one catches it and if the player manages to throw it back in the hole.
5. Hurling, Ireland
Having been played for over 4,000 years (!!!), hurling is still extremely popular in Ireland and the aim is for players to score a point or goal by smashing a ball with a wooden stick either past the goalkeeper or over the crossbar and between the posts. While great fun to play, you’ll want to make sure you don’t get hit by a flailing stick!
6. Kabaddi, Bangladesh
Sort of like the children’s playground game ‘tag’, kabaddi sees teams of seven players face off on a court with one player at a time on each team periodically advancing into the other’s territory. Points are scored according to how many opposition players each person tags before they themselves are tagged or tackled.
7. Peteca – Brazil
Named after the shuttlecock-like object around which the game is based, you’ll often see people playing peteca on any one of Brazil’s beautiful beaches. A traditional sport that has indigenous origins, peteca is played by hitting the shuttlecock with your hands over a net until one side can’t get it back. Lots of fun, peteca is the perfect sport to play or watch while on the beach!
8. Rodeo, Chile
Both the national and traditional sport of Chile, rodeo involves two riders having to stop a calf from running around an arena. With points awarded for technique and the number of times the riders manage to stop it, rodeo really is exhilarating to watch!
9. Sepak Takraw, Southeast Asia
Very popular in Southeast Asia, you are unlikely to ever forget having seen your first Sepak Takraw match! Played at a hundred miles per hour over a volleyball net, players can use any part of their body apart from their feet to pass the ball around and return it over the net. With lots of awe-inspiring overhead kicks taking place each match, Sepak Takraw really is an incredible spectator sport!
10. Buzkashi, Central Asia
Played in both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as by Turkic communities in other Central Asian countries, Buzkashi is certainly not for the faint-hearted. The centuries-old game involves players on horseback fiercely contesting a goat or calf carcass (yes, that’s right!) and points are scored when someone unceremoniously dumps it in one of the team’s goals. Note:the goat isn’t killed solely for the purpose of the game, as it’s later cooked.