The World Moustache Championships and other weird events

As the Cats and the Pies get set to battle it out for the 2011 AFL Grand Final, we take a look at some of the world's most weird, wacky (and surprisingly hirsute) sporting events!

Elephant polo
Elephant polo was first played in India during the early 1900s by members of the Maharaja’s Harem to keep them from being bored.

But in 1982, the World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA) was formed in Nepal by an Englishman and a Scotsman (sounds like the start of a bad joke!) and there are now three international tournaments each year.

Early WEPA matches used a soccer ball but the elephants liked to stand on them and squash them. So now players use a regular polo ball instead. The pitch is smaller than a regular polo pitch because the elephants are so slow. And penalties are incurred against any elephants that lie down in front of the goal line or kick the ball with their feet and trunk. Players are tied onto the back of their elephant in rope harnesses, so they can concentrate on hitting the ball without fear of falling off.

Elephant polo is very popular in South East Asia, but WEPA tournaments are also played by teams from Australia, Britain, Germany, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The current world champion is Scotland, with back-to-back wins in 2004 and 2005.

World beard and moustache championships
On your marks, get set…grow!

Every two years, the owners of the world’s most elaborate facial hair come together at the World Beard and Moustache Championships. A panel of distinguished judges preside over 14 hotly contested categories, including Dali Moustache, Freestyle Moustache, Musketeer, Full Beard Natural and Sideburns Freestyle.

This year, the championships were held in Trondheim, Norway. The winner of Best In Show was Germany's Elmar Weisser, 47, who trumped the field with his elaborate facial hair sculpture of a moose. This was Mr Weisser's third win, after previously taking out the title with beards styled into the shape of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and London's Tower Bridge.

Bossaball
Bossaball combines the skills of capoeira, samba, breakdance, football, volleyball, acrobatics and circus - all played out on a gigantic inflatable playground!

The inflatable court is specially designed with a round trampoline on each side of an adjustable volleyball-style net. Teams of three, four or five players must work together to keep the ball off the ground. If a team allows the ball to hit the ground of the trampoline they lose three points. Anywhere else on the court is worth one point. The first team to 30 points wins the set.

Overseeing the whole match is a Samba Referee. In keeping with the fun of the game, the ref not only umpires the game but also serves as the Master of Ceremonies with the help of a whistle, a microphone, percussion instruments and an exotic DJ set. Just be forewarned that you can be given a penalty if you disagree with his choice of music.

Created in about 2003 by a Belgian man living in Spain, Bossaball is now popular in Europe and South America. And thanks to the portable court it can played on beaches, in schools and at music festivals.

Chess boxing
In the ultimate battle of brain versus brawn, chess boxing is pretty much exactly what you're imagining.
There motto of the World Chess Boxing Organization is, “Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board”.

Invented by a Dutchman in 2003, there are now 150 professional chess boxers worldwide. Before the fight, motivational music fills the air as the two competitors pump themselves up and punch the air. And then, in one of the most unlikely boxing moves to date, they sit down at a chess table.

Each competitor is given ear plugs and headphones to help them concentrate, and then for four minutes they will attempt to outwit each other on the chess board.

Players battle it out between chess and boxing until checkmate is called or someone is knocked out - whichever comes first. After eleven rounds, if there's still no clear winner, the decision is made based on the number of successful body blows landed during the fight.

What's the weirdest sport you've ever played? Leave a comment below, then head to Twitter or Facebook to share your images and stories with the rest of the Gecko's community.

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If you're keen to try your hand at some elephant polo, take advantage of our Spice Up September sale. Get up to 15% OFF India, Nepal and Asia tours.  Hurry! Sale finishes September 30, 2011 so be quick!
 

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