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There is no shortage of competitive sports around the world. However, while everyone knows the big ones, like football, soccer, tennis, hockey, and swimming, there are many others that are no less exhilarating. In the following gallery, scroll through some of the world's lesser-known sports. Have you heard of any of them?

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Players use snorkels and short hockey sticks to play this exhilarating underwater sport.

▲In this sport, players stuff themselves into giant, inflated balls and race down a hill, navigating obstacles, and wading through water.

▲In Wales, both horse and human competitors take part in a 35-km race. The sport was started in a pub in 1980 when two men were debating over whether a man could outrun a horse in a race, as reported by Sports Retriever.

▲This version of soccer involves three teams all playing against each other on a hexagonal-shaped field. The winning team is the one that allows the least amount of goals.

▲Underwater wrestling, or Aquathlon, involves two opponents who wear masks, fins, ankle bands, and ribbons. The winner is the first to capture the ribbon of their opponent. The sport was declared a sport discipline by the World Underwater Federation in 2008.

▲This sport is basically a glorified and organized snowball fight. Teams have to eliminate opposing players with snowballs or capture the other team's flag without getting caught.

▲The World Chess Boxing Organization was founded in 2003 and the game involves alternating intervals of boxing and chess. A player can win by knocking out their opponent in the ring, getting a checkmate, or by judge's decision.

▲This sport is played exactly like regular polo, just on top of elephants. Bonus: after a match, elephants are traditionally given a sugar cane or rice ball as a treat.

▲Dating back to the 1960s in the UK, this sport is exactly what it sounds like. Participants compete by elaborately decorating a bed and then racing it through streets, obstacle courses, and ending with an ice-water swim.

▲This sport is no longer limited to the pages of J.K. Rowling's popular book saga. However, one of the biggest differences is that players run with broomsticks between their legs instead of flying.

▲This British tradition dates back to the 1800s. The rules are quite simple: a wheel of cheese is rolled down a hill and participants race to catch it.

▲Instead of speeding down tracks of ice, such as in the Olympics, competitors lay on a board with wheels and race down a paved hill.

▲This sport was originally started in Africa and involves competitors racing around a track while riding ostriches.

▲This sport incorporates a variety of other disciplines, including volleyball, gymnastics, and soccer. It is played on an inflatable court with trampolines and players hit a ball back and forth over a net.

▲The cheapest form of motorsports takes place all over the world and involves participants racing around a track on modified lawnmowers.

▲Dogs are humans' best friend and they love keeping us company, whether we're hiking a mountain or riding a wave. In this sport, dogs show off their surfing skills in competitions held worldwide.

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Originiating in Finland, men must compete in a series of obstacles courses while carrying their wives upside-down on their back.

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This sport was started in England and involves participants competing in extreme sports, such as rock climbing, sky diving, and wakeboarding while ironing.

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If you don't like feet, it's best to stay away from this one. Competitors must lock big toes and attempt to pin down their opponent's foot.

▲This Southeast Asian sport is a combination of soccer and volleyball.

▲This sport is just like basketball, but played on trampolines.

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Invented in Texas, USA, in 2008, this sport is basically football played on unicycles.

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Finland's national sport is similar to American baseball. Just like in baseball, players hit a ball and run through bases while avoiding getting tagged out. The difference is that pesäpallo involves more of a vertical pitch and is more offense-oriented.

▲This sport originated in India and the goal is for one player to "raid" the other team's players and tag all of them, then run back to their own team's side of the court without getting tackled.

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This sport is similar to soccer, but played on bicycles. Instead of using their feet, players maneuver the ball with their bicycle wheels, head, or if they are playing defense, their hands.

▲Korfball originated in The Netherlands and is another sport similar to basketball, except the net is higher and doesn't contain a backboard.

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This Japanese sport is played at the National Defense Academy of Japan and brings together two teams of 150 players each. The objective of the sport is for each team to capture the other's large wooden pole.