The Fin Taisto Miettinen is a multiple World Champion of Eukonkanto. Mayor of his city in civic life, his sporting achievements are extensive, and all among the most unusual. In addition to the famous wife-carrying competition mentioned previously, he distinguishes himself in bog-snorkelling : an aquatic race in peat bogs! This discipline from Wales consists of a swimming race in a muddy trench of about 50 yards in the middle of the marshes. The equipment consists of a wetsuit, a mask, a snorkel and a pair of flippers. In one edition, the race was even done with a bicycle !

If you want to know how your wife feels about bearing the weight of your marriage all year round, try Eukonkanto, an unusual Finnish sport. The name simply means "wife carrying" in Finnish ! The origin of this discipline is rather vague, although sources agree on the existence of a certain Herkko Rosvo Ronkainen, leader of a group of bandits living in the forest in the 19th century. One version refers to a training method for thieves who carried heavy bags on their backs through the forest to improve their physical condition. Another version of this legend is more sordid since the thieves would have kidnapped women from neighboring villages by taking them on their back. Well, the genesis may be barbaric, but the sport is much more civilized...

Japan is a fascinating country, where on the one hand a certain restraint and discretion is promoted, and on the other hand the most absurd and eccentric TV games are produced. But very often it is the collective spirit that is put forward. Thus, it is not surprising to see games involving a large number of participants: this is the case of Bo-Taoshi, an unusual discipline whose name means "knock down the pole"!

As we mentioned earlier, most of us have played tag as children. In the schoolyard, for example, we used to chase each other, one of us having to touch the other children. It's the idea of the cat and the mouse. In fact, it was while playing with his son that Englishman Christian Devaux had the idea to develop a sports version in 2011...

Those who watched Squid Game, Netflix's global hit, will remember the eponymous squid game, Ojingeo in Korean. This traditional Korean game is a cousin of our next discipline : Kabaddi, meaning "hold your breath". A team sport originating from India, Kabaddi is popular from Asia Minor to Southeast Asia, with the main practicing countries being India of course, but also Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Chris Anderson, a former British soldier, is about to race down a hill to catch a speeding cheese. With over twenty wins, this local star from the village of Brockworth isn't afraid of sprains. No, this isn’t a pitch for a Monty Python sketch, although the story does have a whiff of absurd British humour...

You probably know Florence for its Italian charm and its reputation of being one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The jewel of Tuscany, the cradle of the Renaissance, a city of culture with many museums that echo its historical and privileged link with art and architecture, it is even known as the "capital of the arts". However, the most violent sport on our list comes straight from Florence : Calcio Storico, also known as Florentine Calcio, is a traditional sport of the city, where four districts compete annually in a discipline that is a cross between a football match and a combat between gladiators...

Don't be afraid of this barbaric soundic name, it simply means "long jump" in Frisian, the second official language of Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands. But what exactly is this discipline? It's a kind of pole vaulting, where you try to cross a canal or other such waterway. Unlike the pole vault in track & field, the competitor runs without the pole (it's too big and heavy) ; instead, the pole is erected vertically in the waterway itself. Our athlete will then run and jump on the pole, catch it, and use it to propel himself as far as possible to land on the other side, where the bank is usually arranged with sand to cushion the fall.