Weird sports iceberg

Weird sports iceberg is an iceberg chart topic. A text version, "Weird Sports" by charcoal, is hosted on IcebergThreads, where it had 771 views as of 29 October 2026.

The IcebergThreads author describes it as: "A revised version of one of my classic icebergs on the now defunct icebergcharts site. Whether it's participating in sport games and activities of your own, or watching your supporting team play, everyone enjoys some type of sport whether they realize it or not, whether that's football, rugby, baseball, volleyball, badminton and golf. Sports have long been beloved and have been a major part of…"

Entries reflect the chart authors' choices and are not verified fact.

Tiers

Tiers and entries from the IcebergThreads version. Notes after a dash are shortened from the author's explanations.

Level 1: The Surface

World famous. Just in the realm of outlandishness.

• Bull Fighting
• Bungee Jumping
• Castells
• Competitive Eating – Competitors are to eat as much food as possible in a limited amount of time. Straight-forward, really. The rules and the kind of food vary a lot between games, but often consist of hot dogs, pies,…
• Footvolley
• Oil Wrestling
• Paragliding
• Professional Frisbee
• Sumo Wrestling
• Triathlon
• Wingsuit Flying

Level 2: The Shallow Waters

Well known traditional sports. Quite strange.

• Barrel Jumping
• BASE Jumping
• Bossaball
• Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling – A regional game held annually in the Cooper's Hill in the village of Brockworth, England. A wheel of cheese is to be pushed down the hill and contestants are to run down in an attempt to catch it (or…
• Ice Climbing
• Kabaddi
• Mesoamerican Ball Game
• Sandboarding
• Water Jousting
• Yukigassen

Level 3: Below the Surface

Unfamiliar, but relatively known to some people.

• Bo-taoshi – A traditional Japanese sport often consisting of dozens, sometimes up to hundreds of players. This simple capture-the-flag game involves a defensive team that must form a human tower around a…
• Camel Racing
• Dahi Handi / Gopal Kala
• Death Diving
• Extreme Ironing
• Free Solo Climbing
• Hamster Racing
• Jai Alai
• Jugger
• Leicestershire Bottle Kicking
• Log Rolling
• Sepak Takraw
• Stoolball
• Vitilla
• Volcano Surfing
• Wife Carrying
• Yak Racing

Level 4: The Murky Depths

It gets nicher.

• Bat and Trap
• Beer Mile
• Calcio Storico Fiorentino – An old Medieval-era ball game regionally played in the Italian city of Florence. The sport game has deep historical and cultural ties to the city, as it dates back to the Medieval age, but is still…
• Canne de Combat
• Cockfighting – Don't get your hopes up (or anything up, as a matter of fact), cockfighting is actually a betting game that's played by placing two roosters in an arena and letting them fight to the death. It is…
• Dog Surfing
• Eton Wall Game – Played in only one part of the entire world exclusively by students of Eton College in England, this seemingly simple game requires a ball and a certain brick wall at the back of the college, built…
• Ferret Legging
• Fierljeppen
• Jogo do Pau – A traditional martial art game from Portugal similar to modern Fencing, but instead of a saber, it is played using a long wooden stick. The game originated among peasants and farmers but grew popular…
• Lawn Mower Racing
• Médoc Castle Marathon
• Mountain Unicycling
• Paalzitten
• Tejo – An ancient game originating among the native peoples of Colombia, played with a metal disc and a target on a board, which must be struck to score. However, the disc is often thrown by the participant…
• Toe Wrestling
• Underwater Hockey

Level 5: The Hadal Zone

So niche, bizarre or both that it's just laughable.

• Axe Throwing
• Bog Snorkelling
• Caber Tossing – A traditional Scottish game involving a large pole or tree log (referred to as the "caber") that must be thrown at the furthest distance possible by the participant, with the aim for it to land on a…
• Competitive Tag
• Cycle Ball
• Dambe – A traditional martial arts game pertaining to the Hausa people of Nigeria and Niger, similar to boxing, originating among native fishermen and countrymen. Players aren't given any gloves and instead…
• Kiotoshi
• Mall Walking
• Ostrich Racing
• Sport Gomihiroi
• Teddy Bear Tossing
• Zorbing

Level 6: The Abyssal Zone

Entering the realm of forgotten, peculiar sports. They're weirder than ever.

• Atherstone Ball Game – Considered the UK's deadliest ball game, a Medieval sport that is still very popular today, and there's only two rules when playing the sport - 1: Don't kill anyone. 2: The ball is only allowed…
• Buzkashi – An old sport pertaining to Nodamic tribes in Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, that is very similar to western polo, the difference is that the 'ball' (objective that…
• Donkey Basketball – Normal basketball, but every player is required to ride a donkey while playing. It is a very controversial sport among animal rights activists, as many places that host donkey basketball events have…
• Egg Throwing – A niche sport that's played worldwide, but is especially played in many regional areas in the United States and the United Kingdom, where it is associated with Easter. The objective of this game is…
• Elephant Polo – Polo, but instead of horses, it's elephants. Not much else to it, really, except the fact that this version of the sport is popular in Thailand and Nepal.
• Gurning – To "gurn" is to make a comically distorted facial expression, mostly involving the eyes and jaws. In some parts of England, gurning championships exist, with contests dating back to the 13th Century.
• Welly Wanging – I promise it's not what it sounds like.
• Man Versus Horse Marathon

Level 7: The Ocean Floor

Beyond niche. They should not have some sort of championship.

• Apple Racing – A "sport" originating in the Tasmanian village of Huonville, Austarlia, where each participant throws an apple into the Huon River, and whoever's apple crosses the finish line wins. Sounds fun and…
• Ear Pulling – A traditional sport belonging to the Inuit people of Canada. Participants are to face each other while sitting with a band or string tied around their ears, and they are to pull as far as possible.…
• Haggis Hurling – Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish of minced lamb offal (mainly its organs) that is baked inside its stomach or an intestinal casing, like a sausage. This sport is exactly what it sounds like;…
• Milk Carton Regatta – A game popular among children and teens, with the goal to cross a river or lake with a homemade regatta or a raft made of milk cartons and jars, that the participants build themselves. It is a…
• Phone Throwing – You throw phones. What more do you want?
• Qianghuapao – A Chinese sport pertaining to the Southeast region of Guangxi in which competitors are to catch a lit firework with the goal of throwing it into the opponent's basket. It is often nicknamed the "Game…
• Shovel Racing – A regional sport from the United States, especially the state of New Mexico, in which participants are to snowboard down a slope using shovels.
• Taulafoga – An ancient, somewhat forgotten sport that is popular among native Samoans, in which a large, long bamboo mat is set on the floor, and participants are to take turns throwing coconut shells onto the…

Level 8: The Descent

Wait... these exist!?!?

• Crap-Spitting Contests – Formally (and more commonly) known as "kudu dung spitting", this sport (if you can even call it that) originated among the Afrikaners people of the Northwest of rural South Africa. It's exactly what…
• Dwarf Tossing – A sport originating in pubs and bars in Australia where competitors are to throw people with dwarfism onto a soft surface (like a mattress). Whoever throws at the farthest (and most reasonable)…
• Fox Tossing – A Medieval sport common in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Germany, Poland, Czechia and Lithuania. It was a common sport among nobles, the wealthy and aristocrats. To play the game, an…
• Goose Pulling – A blood sport originating in Medieval Spain that spread to the rest of Europe and eventually to colonial North America. The objective is simple but gruesome; a live goose is fastened over a…
• Professional Pillow Fighting – A classic game with a touch of masculinity, but it's a lot more difficult than what you'd expect, requiring special swinging techniques to knock opponents down with pillows. (now imagine if they were…
• Savika / African Bull-Fighting – A traditional sport from the Betsileo peoples of Madagascar. Unlike Spanish bull-fighting, competitors are to wrestle a bull with their bare hands (no equipment, nothing), and the arena where the…
• Snail Racing – Yes... a world championship exists... for fucking snail racing.

See also

• Iceberg chart
• Rare events in football iceberg

Sources

• IcebergThreads version: charcoal. Weird Sports. IcebergThreads. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026.