Strange Sports In South East Asia

When you consider the fact that most North Americans don’t like cricket, some South American’s haven’t even heard of hockey and grown men in Japan overeat and drink beer (as part of their professional training!) in order to roll around a stadium in what resembles a nappy, it makes you wonder what weird and wonderful sports us Brits might not have heard of…

Sepak Takraw is played across South East Asia and Indonesia. Sepak is a Malay word for kick, and takraw is a Thai word for a woven ball, so sepak takraw literally means ‘kick ball’. This incredibly popular game is played with a ball made of rattan strips. Players may use their heads, knees and feet but not their hands.

Elephant Polo was invented in India during the early 1900s. At the time India was a part of the British Empire and the first people to play were members of the English aristocracy. The World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA) was formed in 1982 by an Englishman and a Scotsman in Nepal, and the WEPA now holds three international tournaments each year, in Sri Lanka, Thailand and finally the world championships in Nepal. WEPA has also welcomed teams representing Australia, Britain, Germany, Hong Kong and New Zealand – and England and Scotland have both held the title of World Champion!

Main Gasing is a traditional Malaysian top-spinning game, in which tops are fashioned from hardwood and delicately balanced with lead. Competitions are seriously contested, with winning tops often spinning for well over an hour.

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