A round-the-world tour of the most bizarre, dangerous and downright daft sporting events the planet has to offer
When we think of the world's great sporting events, we tend to focus on iconic spectacles such as the World Cup, the Olympics, the Derby, the Monaco Grand Prix or the University Boat Race. But there exists an alternative world of competition where participants risk life, limb and often dignity for meagre rewards in truly weird sporting pursuits.
Step forward the Indonesian sport of sepak bola api, a variation of football in which the barefoot players kick a ball that is on fire; Italy's World Hide and Seek Championship; Oregon's Pig-N-Ford Races where drivers speed around the track while carrying a live pig under one arm; and Australia's variation of the Boat Race, the Henley-on-Todd River Race, where, instead of rowing, teams carry their boats along the dry bed of the River Todd.
With full details of the rules and colourful history of each competition, there will be no excuses the next time you're invited to take part in the World Flounder Tramping Championships. From rabbit show jumping to portable toilet racing, this light-hearted book is a celebration of the human race's irrepressible ingenuity when it comes to weird ways to pass the time.