[WORLDKINGS] The unique contests around the world - P22 - Swamp Soccer World Championships (Finland) : The strangest mud soccer competition on Earth - Worldkings

[WORLDKINGS] The unique contests around the world - P22 - Swamp Soccer World Championships (Finland) : The strangest mud soccer competition on Earth

10-03-2021

(WorldKings.org) Swamp football (sometimes called Swamp soccer, and Suopotkupallo in Finnish) is a form of association football that is played in bogs or swamps. The sport is said to come from Finland where it initially was used as an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers, since playing on soft bog is physically demanding. The first organised championship was the 1998 Finnish championship and was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron". There are currently an estimated 300 swamp football teams around the world.

The officially recognised global body for Swamp Soccer is Swamp Soccer UK Ltd, based in Scotland. As well as managing the Swamp Soccer World Cup, Swamp Soccer UK has a mission to introduce the sport to other countries. Headed up by Stewart Miller, in the last few years (2011 to 2015) official tournaments have been launched in China (Beijing), Turkey (Istanbul) and India (Mumbai).

Competitive cross-country skiers in Finland have for decades taken to the swamps for endurance training, which gave some folks an idea: Why not combine swamp athletics with football (or, in Americanized terms, soccer)? Swamp Soccer World Championships commenced in 1998. The event today draws a couple of thousand participants from around the world broken down into 200 teams vying for the title.

Most players find lodging at the Ukkohalla ski and sport resort, which also hosts a “Swamp Rock” event during the games. If mud isn’t your thing, booking at the Ukkohalla in the winter has its own rewards: The resort is also home to the Snow Soccer Championship.

According to en.wikipedia and stacker.com

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