Five Unusual Sports in Scandinavia

Residents in Scandinavia have embraced many sports that are rather unusual and have a distinctly “Nordic” flair to them. Consider spending a fascinating day either participating in or watching some of these unusual events.

Ice Yacht Races

Since 1901, the Stockholm Ice Yacht Club of Sweden has been fast racing ice yachts across a frozen lakes and fjords. Originally, this sport simply used kites to pull around skaters across the ice. Modern day ice yachts are sleek, well-designed craft can achieve astounding speeds and give riders a real bone-chilling thrill. Some contemporary yachts can carry up to six or seven crew and passengers that are distributed around the boat to create the delicate balance needed to maintain top speeds without tipping over.

Underwater Rugby

Began in Germany in the 1970s as a physical fitness training exercise, underwater rugby has become a huge hit in Scandinavia. Teams in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland have regular competitions that even include underwater balls and social mixers. These events are held in the shallow end of swimming pools with balls that are filled with saltwater to keep them from floating to the surface. Underwater rugby has become an even more popular spectator sport with the advent of underwater cameras and big screens so viewers can see the action up close.

Wife Carrying

This unusual sport originated in Sonkajarvi, Finland, where the World Championships of wife carrying have been held since 1997. This rather humorous activity is supposedly reminiscent of of the time when Finnish men courted their women by running into their village, picking them up and carrying them off to their village. The sport is, as you would imagine, rather simple. The goal is for a man to carry his wife across an obstacle course in the fastest time. Often the wife’s weight is measured in beer and the prizes are determined by weight categories. Over 40 couples have to competed at one time in these events and the popularity is spreading around the world.

Paragliding

Although not necessarily an unusual sport, paragliding over the frozen tundra, summertime mountains, or the Baltic Sea is a fascinating way to get a bird’s eye view of Scandinavia. In Finland, you can paraglide across an alpine lake or in Poland you can soar over the slopes of Zar mountain. The Oslo Paraglider club offers nine day intensive courses in Hemsedal for beginners as well as longtime enthusiasts of the sport.

Rink Bandy

Also known as a rinkball, the sport began in Sweden in the 1950s and is played on the ice hockey rink. There are over 1000 rinkball teams in Finland alone and over 200 associations and almost 300 teams currently participate in the Finnish Rinkball Federation Playoffs. Rinkball games are less risky than normal bandy because the playing areas are smaller so fewer players are required and the dangerous practice of “checking” is prohibited.