Holiday Rentals News - Sports tourism doesn't have to mean the Beijing Olympics

Sports tourism doesn't have to mean the Beijing Olympics

The Beijing Olympics may be approaching, but holidaymakers wanting to watch a sport with a difference still have plenty of choice. From a vertical marathon to 'chess boxing', there are events taking place in countries all over the world.

The Beijing Olympics get under way on August 8th, but if watching people run around a track does not appeal then there are other sporting events to entertain you, says The Times.

Among the recommended silly sporting events worldwide are:

• Vertical Marathon. Rent a holiday home in Thailand's Bangkok and watch people race up 1,093 stairs. The finish line at the top of the building is a former helicopter pad that has been transformed into a restaurant, where runners quench their thirst on a cocktail. Thailand's Vertical Marathon takes place every September and if you want to have a go yourself entrance is £5.


• Bottle-kicking. Take a UK holiday next year and visit the towns of Hallaton and Medbourne in Leicestershire where residents 'kick' (or move however they can) three kegs (called bottles) of beer for a mile between two streams. Bottle-kicking takes place each Easter Day.


• Chess boxing. According to the World Chess Boxing Association, chess boxing combines "the number one thinking sport with the number one fighting sport". Held in Germany, contests are made up of 11 rounds - six involving chess and five of boxing. The competitors play chess for 12 minutes, and then after a break of one minute box for a further three minutes. A win can come from a knock-out, a points victory in boxing, a checkmate in chess or a referee ending a fight.


• Human buoy bobbing. Held on Lake Lammasjarvi in Finland, locals and tourists wear oversized dry suits which are then pumped full of air. Adventurous bobbers can navigate a 200m stretch of rapids. Organisers describe it as "like canoeing without the canoe".


• Dog surfing. Up to 50 dogs each year take to the waters in California, some sporting Hawaiian shorts and sunglasses. Accompanied by their owners, dogs can compete in several categories at the International Dog Surfing Championships in June.


• Nettle eating. Stay in a holiday cottage in Dorset next June and see the World Nettle Eating Championships for yourself. The winner is the person who has eaten the most nettles in one hour. The event in Marshwood has been running for 22 years and is a result of a dispute between farmers over who had the longest nettles.


• Pole sitting. Juelsminde in Denmark is the host town of pole sitting, where locals compete to see how long they can sit on wooden poles; the maximum period allowed is four days. If anyone exceeds this, they are crowned champion pole sitter. The sport originated when locals decided to see how long they could balance poles in the sea to prevent attacks from Norway.

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