Real life: The strangest sports around the globe

Perhaps you just haven't found the right sport for you yet. Well, fear not, Weekend is here to help. No matter how fit you may be, whether you're a team player or a solo sportsperson, we've found a perfect competitive pastime for you. And though it might sound like we're making some of these up off the top of our heads, we haven't just conjured up these sports from thin air.

They're all actual competitions that take place around the world. We know, we can't believe it either.

Extreme Ironing

Stop the press! Extreme ironing is a thing.

It's an adrenaline sport which combines the thrill of an extreme outdoor activity with the tedium of crisping up your work shirts. It's exactly what it sounds like too – competitors do their ironing in extreme places, such as while rock climbing, parachuting, skiing or scuba diving. The latter sounds a bit dangerous to us – common sense dictates you don't take a plugged in electrical device with you into water. But, of course, they don't expect you to electrocute yourself in the pursuit of success.

The Extreme Ironing Bureau (EIB) aren't really that strict on rules, truth be told.

And those are our favorite kinds of sports, we must say!

Wife carrying

Wife getting on your back? Well, then you're probably already geared for success in the popular sport of wife carrying.

It's an endeavour practised globally, with the world championships taking place annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland.

The 380-metre race is gruelling with a grown adult on your back, as it's not all straight running – there's a pretty steep ascent and the descent isn't pretty either.

Thirty couples took place in the UK race this year, held in Dorking, Surrey. Couples from as far as South Africa and the USA came to the country specifically to compete, and it was worth it for American couple Jonathan Schwochert and Charlotte Xiong, who galloped to victory. The reigning world champs, Dmitriy Sagal and Anastasia Loginova, are from Russia.

Bog snorkelling

Once described by Lonely Planet as one of the top 50 'must do' things from around the world, the World Bog Snorkelling Championships celebrates its 31st birthday this August.

The event is held each year in Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales, drawing in competitors from around the globe to wade through the dense Waen Rhydd peat bog wearing snorkelling gear, including flippers!

The current title holder is Haydn Pitchforth who made it through the 120-yard course in one minute 26.75 seconds. The world record was set in 2014 by 33-year-old Kirsty Johnson from Surrey, with a top time of one minute 22.56 seconds. Last year, the bog welcomed snorkellers from as far away as Australia and Japan. Excuse us, we're just popping to the bog.

Dog surfing

If you'd much rather sit back and watch a sport than actively take part, then dog surfing is one for you.

The annual event takes place in September on Huntingdon Beach, California, and is exactly what it says it is. Surf City Surf Dog sees pups of all sizes and breeds take part, with lessons being offered throughout the year to prepare dogs for the championship.

The canine competitors swap their bones for boards and see what totally radical waves they can catch, dude! Last year, 65 dogs took part, divided into classes based on their size and weight. They wear life jackets to ensure they're safe, and each competitor takes home a medal, along with a doggy bag at the end.

Surfing dogs love the ocean – the ruff-er the better!

Chessboxing

They seem like two completely conflicting pastimes – boxing and chess. One allows you to check your mate, and the other allows you to whack him in the face with a massive red glove.

But somehow, chessboxing is a sport all of its own. The hybrid competition sees two sportspeople go head to head in alternating rounds of fisticuffs and strategy board gaming. Sounds intense!

There are 11 rounds in each match, six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. It's a sport that was created by artist Iepe Rubingh, and was initially intended to be an art performance before it really took off. The current World Heavyweight Champion is Nikolay Sazhin from Russia, but there's currently no holder of the UK Championship, if you fancy it?

Worm charming

There are 18 rules of worm charming – it's that serious.

To compete, you must operate in a plot of 3 metres squared to coax out as many wrigglers as possible in the 30-minute time limit. But digging isn't allowed at the World Championships, which has taken place in the village of Willaston, near Nantwich every year since 1980.

You have to use only the powers of vibration to encourage the worms to the surface. Various types of music and manual vibration techniques can be used to charm the worms. Last year, the winning team romped home to success with a huge haul of 227 squigglers.

Each was handled carefully and returned to the earth as soon as the birds had gone home to roost that evening.

Sounds. . . slippery!

Frog jumping

Mark Twain wrote about this sport in his story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, so you know it's good.

To this day, the county hosts this prestigious competition, and it has done since the first modern frog jump in 1928. Fifty frogs qualify for the International Frog Jump Grand Finals, all of which are housed in the 'Frog Spa' during the four days of the county fair.

On their website, organisers promise that 'the frogs are treated with the upmost care and respect', which is great to know considering the competition is fierce. The current world record was set back in 1986 when Rosie the Ribeter jumped a huge 21 feet five and 3/4 inches!

The cash prize for breaking the world's record is US$5,000. It's no croak.

Beer crate running

There are many names for this sport. Kastenlauf, Kistenlauf, Bierkastenlauf, Bierlauf, Bierkastenrennen, Biergrätle-race and Bier-Rallye are just a few, but we'll stick with beer crate running, because it's the only one we can successfully pronounce when we've necked three cans.

This sport is possibly our pick of the bunch, and sees competitors in Austria, Germany and Switzerland race while carrying a crate of beer.

In order to win, the team must cross the finish line after consuming the entire pallet of booze that they're carrying.

But it's not a rush job, the team has a race ahead of between 5km and 12km to polish off every drink in their cargo, and teams must consist of two people or more.

Hot dog eating

On Monday, the world famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championships took place.

Joey Chestnut gobbled his way to victory, downing 70 dogs in the allocated 10 minutes, complete with buns, the most ever eaten at the competition. We feel stuffed just thinking about it.

The annual competition takes place on Coney Island, and has done since its inception back in 1972. Tens of thousands of people turn up to watch the competitive eaters gorge themselves silly in pursuit of the coveted mustard and pink belts. We expect their own belts take some adjusting after that mega meal.

Last year's champ Matt Stonie devoured 62 hot dogs to win the title. Sauce is allowed, but no one really bothers with it. Why would you?

Let's be frank – this is a serious business.

Pooh sticks

The World Pooh Sticks Championship is the sweetest and most quaint sport we can imagine.

Based on Winnie's favourite pastime, Pooh Sticks involves throwing a stick into a stream and watching to see if yours travels the furthest.

It's simple, fun and a great sport to get involved in with the kids.

The world championships took place on the River Windrush in Witney, Oxfordshire this year. Family team the Hundred Acre Edwards' (Ben, Fleur and Alex Edwards along with Megan Harrison) snagged the top prize in their category, while seven-year-old Charlie Roman won the individual round.

Charlie came third the year before, so it was great to see him on form this year, watching his stick travel along the five-metre long course. Pooh would be proud!