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Sports draw people from around the world, cheering and screaming from the tops of their lungs in hopes their team scores big. This spirit is a global one, igniting the fierce rivalries of the NFL with the same flame as it does the high-stakes world of competitive cheese rolling. Since one man's silly game is another man's bloodsport, we must respect each of these games for what they are, even if they are, technically, insane.

We at TravelPulse have scoured the globe to find unusual sports that not only raise the eyebrow, but keep us amazed by their strangeness.

England — Chess Boxing

You may be thinking, "What does chess have to do with boxing?" But in Europe these two sports combined together draws a multitude of passionate followers.  Emerging out of South London, a full match requires six rounds of chess (3-4 minutes long) and five rounds of boxing (3 minutes long).

A competitor’s win is determined by achieving a checkmate or knocking his component out during the boxing match. If there are no more moves to reach a checkmate, the scores from the boxing matches are used to decide on the winner. Players can also be warned or disqualified if they are unable to make a successful chess move. During play, the competitors are required to wear headphones to block the sounds of the roaring spectators. 

The wide popularity of this sport resulted in the establishment of the World Chess Boxing Organization (WCBO) in 2003.

Germany — Mud Olympics (Wattoluempiade)

For many, splashing around in mud may seem more grotesque than a sport, but in Germany. athletes get down and dirty for the love of the game.

Contestants head to Brunsbuttel, Germany on the storied mudflats on the mouth of the Elbe River to compete in relay races and play volleyball, football and handball while covered head to toe in mud.  This extreme event also contributes to the Cancer Relief Organization of Schleswig-Holstein making it a fun, yet benevolent cause.

England (again) — Extreme Ironing

This sport will make you think differently about your iron and ironing board.  It takes the household chore to all new extremes in which performers of the sport take on the world’s most dangerous adventures while pressing their clothes. Contestents get wrinkle-free while underwater, skydiving, travsersing jagged mountainsides and even snowboarding. No place is safe when it comes to steaming out the creases in their pants and shirts.

So the next time you happen to look up in the air and see skydivers plummeting the earth with an ironing board in tow, don’t be alarmed. It is only an extreme ironing competition (OK, so you should probably still be slightly alarmed).

Tasmania — Wood Chopping

The sport of wood chopping is believed to have originated in Tasmania dating back to 1870.  However, over the years it has grown into an international activity attracting spectators and axe-men from Australia, Canada, USA, New Zealand, England, Spain and Ireland who skilfully chop away into large pieces of wood with axes weighing up to three kilograms. 

During this interesting sport, you will also see them masterfully attempt treefelling. This is a delicate balancing act, done while the woodchopper cuts board holes and notches in a tree and scurries up it like a squirrel, descending it on the reverse side carrying the pieces of wood with which he had previously ascended.

United Arab Emirates — Camel Racing

Did you know camels can run up to 40 mph? 

Well you can see them take off leaving a trail of dust in the sandy destinations of the United Arab Emirates including Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan, as well as Australia.  

Dating back to the seventh century, the sport mirrors that of horse racing, but jockeys are mainly children because they are lighter in weight. In Australia camels typically race without riders.  

San Diego — Surfing Dog Competition

Here’s the perfect opportunity for your pooch to hang 20. San Diego’s Loews Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition is an annual event that brings dog lovers along with their furry, four-legged friends to test the waterways of the Imperial Beach Pier. 

An even more amusing sight of the competition is seeing doggy competitors and their owners alike stretched out on the sand while a massager soothes out their kinks.

Hosted by Loews Hotels & Resorts, this pet-friendly competition is as exciting as it is comical, and brings thousands of spectators all in hopes to see canines surfing like pros.

Germany (again) — Underwater Rugby

The game of rugby is not for amateurs, especially not five meters underwater.  Underwater rugby began in 1961 and is notably dubbed as UW-Polo among locals in Nordic countries.  The game requires two teams of 15 players (dressed with snorkels, fins and dining masks) with six players playing in the pool and six waiting on the sidelines to be tagged in at any point of the game.  The three remaining contestants are used as substitutes.  

The diamond-shaped rubber ball is replaced with a plastic saltwater-filled ball as competitors try their best to use skill and speed to keep the ball in their team’s possession. So pretty much just like on land, but while holding your breath and swimming. Because rugby was apparently not physically challenging enough for some people.

Finland — Wife Carrying

This sport takes carrying your wife over the threshold to a new level.  Originating in Finland, this obstacle course race consists of male competitors piggybacking, fireman carrying or otherwise lifting the woman to victory. Lest you think the woman is just a passive ballast, there is also Estonian style in which the woman holds onto the man's waist, upside down, with her legs over his shoulders. 

It should come as no surprise, really, that the prize for the winner is based on the wife's weight in beer.

Southern California — Street Luge

You don’t want to be in the way at as these faced paced competitors zip through the streets on their backs. 

Street luge, also called laydown skateboarding or competitive road rash-collecting (we made that last one up) is no ordinary sport. Born in Southern California, street luge can now be also seen in major destinations throughout the U.S. as well as Austria, Great Britain, Africa and Malaysia which all have played hosts to the IGSA Classic Luge World Series Champions.

So the next time you find yourself on a skateboard, try laying on it on your back and see which position gets your heart racing more. 

England (yet again) — Cheese Rolling

Believe it or not, rolling cheese is a world-famous event that draws many competitors down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, UK.  Here, a maximum of 20 participants wait anxiously at the top of the hill before the Master of Ceremonies, along with a guest roller holding a seven- to eight-pound block of cheese, tosses it down the slope.

At the count of four the competitors all rush to the bottom of the hill, some tumbling, tripping and rolling in hopes to win the cheese. Racers who come in second or third winners are given a small cash prize. Anyone who reaches the bottom still on their feet is tackled by rugby players (we are not making that last part up).