Dog Grooming Olympics
It really shouldn’t be surprising that a Dog Grooming Olympics has been created. Each year, thousands of dog and pet grooming competitions take place, this one just so happens to be the biggest. A culmination of every other dog grooming competition, the Dog Grooming Olympics must be taken very seriously. This year’s winner is 38-year old mother of four from England, Su Eld-Weaver. She spent 6 months creating the perfect look on her pet poodle Dobby, and the months of practice paid off when her “doggy-geisha” look earned her the first place spot. While this I a great personal achievement for Su, she still aims to make the cover of magazine, Grooming to Grooming, cementing her title as Queen of Dog Grooming.
Sauna Olympics
Heinola, Finland, the birthplace of the world’s Sauna Olympics, officially known as The World Sauna Championship. The competition began in 1999 and took off with an unexpected bang. Interest in the competition draws competitors from over 20 countries. Although it doesn’t make for great T.V or is remotely interesting to watch to the majority, the competition is actually very dangerous. Competitors participate at their own risk, in temperatures of 110 degrees Celsius. Every thirty seconds another half-litre of water is added to the sauna. Participants must sit still in the sauna, with their legs and bum touching the sauna at all times, but arms, hands and forearms must not touch the sauna or they are disqualified. In the past, people have dies competing in the Sauna Olympics, due to excessive heat and humidity.
Extreme Ironing World Championships
As the name suggests, this contest is about ironing…in extreme competitions. Fair play to the genius who made this dull household activity an extreme sport and actually interesting for a change! The exciting and dangerous world of extreme ironing was created in Leicester, UK in 1997, and has run annually since. In the past competitors have faced ironing challenges, (both with and without an ironing board bur always involving an iron) under water, between cliffs and on mountain edges. If ironing the perfect shirt didn’t seem difficult enough, add an extreme sport like snowboarding jus to top it off. The judges are compiled from members of the Official Extreme Ironing Bureau, so you just know the results are legit….
Actual Olympic Events
Unfortunately, the title “Olympics” has been shamed by some ridiculous competitions over the years. But the most disappointing offenders happen to be the actual Olympics themselves. Since their conception, the sports included have changed and modified a manner of trial and error, to form the games as we know them today. Some events that are missing, that could be possibly the most entertaining, are listed below. Have a look:
Swimming Obstacle Race
You can imagine the hilarity that followed this event when it was introduced in 1900 Paris, France. The Summer Olympics were yet to draw a crowd, and event organisers were desperate to gather some sort of crowd, and results were a less athletic and more School Sports Day Olympics. The race was like a normal swimming race, except for three stages that involved random objects being placed in the swimmers course.
Pelota
Another 1900 Olympic Games sport that failed to take off. Pelota is played exclusively in the Basque Region, so two teams showed up to play at the Olympics, France and Spain, who competed against each other. No-one knows who won, as there were no judges at the game, although after spectators claimed Spain won, Spain was awarded the gold medal during the closing ceremonies. France took the silver, and an awkward silence followed until it became clear that there would be no bronze medallist. For anyone who doesn’t know, Pelota is essentially a game of catch. Played by two players, a ball is thrown back and forward until it is dropped: really a thrilling game (according to many pet dogs).
