Regarding bizarre sports, our neighboring macronation Finland hosts the strangest events.

The strangest of all is perhaps the World Cup in Wife-Carrying. The competition is held in Sonkajäri in July each year, and the challenging obstacle course has become something of a world sensation, with pairs from Denmark, Hong Kong, and Australia on the start list. It’s a strange way to spend a honeymoon, but who can judge?

How it works

Wife-carrying is a contest in which male competitors race while each carries a female partner. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a particular obstacle track fastest. The sport was first introduced in Sonkajärvi, Finland.

Several types of carrying may be practiced: a classic piggyback, a fireman’s carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (wife upside-down on his back with her legs over the neck and shoulders).

History

Eukonkanto originated in Finland. Tales have been passed down by a man named Herkko Rosvo-Ronkainen (aka Ronkainen the Robber). This man was thought to be a robber in the late 1800s who lived in a forest. He supposedly ran around with his gang of thieves, causing harm to villagers. From what has been found, there are three ideas as to why/how this sport was invented. Firstly, Rosvo-Ronkainen and his thieves were accused of stealing food and abducting women from villages in the area he lived in, then carrying these women on their backs as they ran away (hence the “wife” or woman carrying).

The second suggestion is that young men would go to neighboring villages and abduct women to marry forcibly, often women already married. These wives were also carried on the backs of the young men; this was referred to as “the practice of wife stealing.” Lastly is the idea that Rosvo-Ronkainen trained to be “faster and stronger” by carrying big, heavy sacks on their backs, from which this sport evolved. Though the sport is often considered a joke, competitors take it very seriously, just like any other sport.

Wife-carrying contests have taken place in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, India, Germany, the UK, and other parts of the world besides Finland and nearby Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia, and the sport has a category in the Guinness Book of Records.

Rules

The original course was a rough, rocky terrain with fences and brooks, but it has been altered to suit modern conditions. There is now sand instead of whole rocks, fences, and some area filled with water (a pool). These are the following rules set by the International Wife-Carrying Competition Rules Committee:

• The length of the official track is 253.5 meters.
• The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle about one meter deep.
• The wife to be carried may be your own or the neighbor’s, or you may have found her further afield; she must be over 17 years of age.
• The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kilograms. If she weighs less than 49 kg, she will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to bring the total load up to 49 kg.
• All participants must enjoy themselves.
• The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier and a helmet worn by the carrier.
• The contestants run the race two pairs at a time, so each heat is a contest.
• Each contestant takes care of his/her safety and if deemed necessary, insurance.
• The contestants must pay attention to the instructions given by the competition organizers.
• There is only one category in the World Championships, and the winner is the couple who completes the course in the shortest time.
• Also, the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier will be awarded a special prize.

Other esoteric sports competitions in Finland include mosquito hunting, mobile phone throwing, swamp football, and the world championship for air guitar.