Unusual Sports!
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
In our occasional series of unusual sports, we focus this time on toe wrestling!
This sport is similar to arm wrestling and was invented in Staffordshire, United Kingdom, in 1976.
It was the idea of a group of friends at ‘Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn’, who wanted to create a sport in which “Britains could reign supreme”!
It is played by men and women and comprises three rounds played with the right foot, the left foot and again with the right foot. Players lock their bare feet with their toes and aim to pin their opponent’s foot down. It can get quite rough and players often suffer from bruises and, at times, even broken toes!
Although the International Olympic Committee has declined to designate toe wrestling as an Olympic sport, it remains popular and attracts interest from all over the world.
The World Toe Wrestling Championships are held annually at Ashbourne Heights in Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
