18 of the strangest, most exhausting and crazy championships in the world

People who take part in such competitions must have an irrepressible thirst for adventure and remarkable health. Most of these championships are accompanied by severe trials, some even look like torture.

(Total 32 photos)

1. The competition of fat people among the Dinka people, Sudan. (Photo: Jean-Marc Bouju / AP)

2. For four months after the rainy season, Dinka men in Sudan go on a milk diet. The task is to become the fattest. A huge belly shows wealth and indicates the productivity of a personal herd. Many who compete die, but those who survive the test easily find a wife. (Photo: Jean-Marc Bouju / AP)

3. Tough Mudder competition in the USA, Europe and Oceania. (Photo: Justin Tallis/Stringer/Getty)

4. Participants in this brutal competition are challenged to overcome a 16-kilometer obstacle course, including passing through icy water, exposed electrical wires, mud pits and tear gas. Every year, tens of thousands of people around the world pay roughly $100 each to essentially torture themselves. (Photo: Jean-Marc Bouju / AP)

5. Championship to attract bees, China. (Photo: Stringer/Imagine China)

6. Every year, beekeepers in China release their swarm and compete to attract the most insects, which can stick around from head to toe until they get a “bee coat”. The Guinness Book record holder attracted about 39 kg of bees, that is, about 350,000 bees. They compete without protection, beekeepers wear only swimming trunks. More points. (Photo: Stringer/Imagine China)

7. Extreme Ironing Championship, England. (Photo: Extreme Ironing)

8. Extreme ironing attracts teams from all over the world. People fly to Europe with irons, where they have to iron everything from T-shirts to the finest silk while tied to a speeding car or hovering over a river. (Photo: Extreme Ironing)

9. Mobile phone throwing championship, Finland. (Photo: AP)

The idea of the event is very simple. In fact, many of us do it either by accident or in anger. Participants bring working phones with them, and the task is to throw the gadget as far as possible. The distance of the throw is fixed by the judges, everything is strict.

10. World Sauna Championship, Finland. (Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / AFP)

11. This competition was popular in Finland and attracted steam room enthusiasts from many other countries. The entry fee was 50 euros. Participants had to withstand temperatures up to +110 degrees Celsius and sit upright longer than their rivals. In 2010, the competition was suspended after a tragic duel between the two finalists, as a result of which one died and the other was hospitalized. (Photo: Sari Gustafsson/AFP)

12. Wife Carry Championship, USA, Europe. (Photo: AFP/Stringer/Getty)

13. The organizers of the competition offer participants to carry their wives along the obstacle course, after passing which you can get beer in an amount equivalent to the weight of the spouse. According to history, the tradition of dragging wives originated in medieval Finland, when there were not enough women, they were simply stolen and carried away on their shoulders. The robber Herko Rosvo-Ronkainen became especially famous. (Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty)

14. Alligator wrestling, USA. (Photo: FAWC Online)

15. Alligator wrestling originated from a technique used by the Seminole Indians to capture and transport a live alligator to their camp as edible prey. Now this action has turned into an exciting sports competition, for participation in which wrestlers pay 250 dollars of membership dues. Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competition (FAWC) has strict rules in place to ensure that no animal is harmed. (Photo: FAWC Online)

16. Redneck Summer Games, or Redneck Games, Georgia, USA. (Photo: Erik S. Lesser / Stringer / Getty)

17. Only in Georgia is there a place where people flock and pay to take part in such contests as “flopping belly in the mud”, spitting sunflower seeds, throwing toilet rings or cigarette butts. Luckily, the money raised from this weird version of the Olympics goes to charity. (Photo: Barry Williams/Stringer/Getty)

18. Competition in deep freediving Vertical Blue, Bahamas. (Photo: Vertical Blue)

19. Free diving involves diving without an oxygen tank. Athletes hold their breath and dive to a depth of more than 100 meters. Some divers lose consciousness. Participation requires certification and a membership fee of $645. (Photo: Vertical Blue)

20. Swim on rubber women (Bubble Baba Challenge), Russia. (Photo: Stringer/AFP/Getty)

21. This competition is almost as crazy as the redneck Olympics in Georgia. Every August, men and women in Russia plunge into the cold and choppy waters of the Vuoksa River on inflatable dolls. The task is to swim the distance without losing the "companion", rented from the organizers or brought with you. (Photo: Stringer/AFP/Getty)

22. Death Race, USA. (Photo: Death Race)

23. The most extreme spartan obstacle course Death Race can last over 70 hours, the entry fee is about $300. Tests are constantly changing - sometimes you have to crawl in the mud, then climb over barbed wire and broken glass, perform agricultural work, move a loaded wheelbarrow through a dense swamp. About 90% of participants stop the race before reaching the finish line. (Photo: Death Race)

24. Nettle Championship, England. (Photo: Totally Dorset)

In the county of Dorset, nettle eaters compete annually. The goal is to eat as much of this stinging herb as possible. Many participants begin to vomit. The 2014 champion managed to digest leaves from 24 meters of nettle stalks. Participation is paid, and the winner receives about 100 pounds. (Photo: Corinna Halloran/Getty)

25. Volvo Ocean Race, England. (Photo: Getty)

26. 39,000 nautical miles sailed in 39 weeks? No problem! Every three years, rugged sailors embark on a journey full of challenges. This round-the-world regatta is considered the most grueling, dangerous and costly competition in the world.

27. World Worm Charming Championships, England. (Photo: Lynn Cameron/PA Wire)

Worm Charming is apparently the reason the UK no longer rules the world. In essence, you are given a piece of land on which you move and turn to the soil, calling out to the worms. Or you can use any strategy that creates vibrations in the soil that the worms mistake for rain. The current world record is 567 organisms in 30 minutes.

28. Chessbox Grand Prix, Europe and Russia. (Photo: AP)

29. To win in this hybrid sport, you need to knock out your opponent or checkmate him on the chessboard. A full match consists of six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. Chessboxing is popular in Europe and Russia, where there are many tournaments with different membership fees for participants. (Photo: AP)

30. International competitions in high-speed flights (World Base Race), Finland. (Photo: World BASE Race)

31. Would you pay money to jump off a cliff? Although the contestants compete for the title of "The World's Fastest Flying Man", the winner is actually an extreme person who free-falls over 800 meters high the fastest. Such a wingsuit jump will cost NOK 400, or about $50. (Photo: World BASE Race)

32. Competition for eating bull eggs, Montana, USA. (Photo: Testy Festy)

The annual Testicle Festival takes place in the city of Clinton. The signature dish is bull eggs. You can compete with other volunteers in the amount eaten in 10 minutes. Vomiting is a common occurrence here.