Unique sport of wooden shoe racing at China’s national games is as comical as it sounds

Many sports rarely receive worldwide exposure, but one fascinating event in China recently caught the media's attention. A video of the event was shared by Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) on X, quickly garnering over 2.5 million views. At first glance, viewers see men participating in a race that seems incredibly challenging, requiring perfect coordination from all three team members. The athletes strive to pick up speed to reach the finish line before the other teams while keeping their feet strapped to two wooden planks. The interesting board-shoe racing contest has been held in China for centuries, reported CGTN.

The origin of this sport can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). According to folktales, a famous heroine used this method of strapping soldiers together with the board to train them. This tradition was passed down through generations and eventually gained popularity among participants from various regions of China. The race in question was held to showcase the athletic skills of China's ethnic minorities during the 12th National Traditional Games in Sanya, Hainan Province. The Zhuang ethnic group from south of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region hail the board-shoe racing as their traditional folk sport.

During the event, athletes in teams of three slip their feet into pairs of wooden board shoes and race against other teams. It's a race in which both men and women can participate and compete in a 60-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter along with 2 x 100-meter relay race. There is a 4 x 100 meters mixed relay race event too. In 2024, 30 board-shoe racing teams participated in the games and featured 348 athletes from various ethnic groups in China. Meanwhile, people on X had plenty of humorous remarks after discovering this unique sporting event.

@dvorahfr joked, "We should do that for co-working workshops! To strengthen team cohesion." @DedriCTutroS suggested, "Maybe this can replace breakdancing or race walking in the Olympic Games." @stoneformom commented, "I've never seen anything like it. Would have never guessed this is a professional sport." @hyperiongr wondered, "I am always surprised at how many sports humans have invented." This video also gained the attention of legendary actor John Cleese, who rose to fame with the British sketch comedy show "Monty Python's Flying Circus." "A new event for the Monty Python Olympics? Or name a better one!" Cleese wrote on his X handle, @JohnCleese, and reposted the video of the race.

"I'd love to see the remaining Monty Python crew do this with all their elite banker, government censorship, war machine, euro-commie globalist friends that they seem to be so in love with. Imagine you could wear Ukraine colors and get sponsorship from Lockheed Martin!" X user @RightKingTodd replied to Cleese's post. For reference, the comedy sketch show had a special segment called "Silly Olympics." According to the British Comedy Guide, the "Silly Olympics" was an event that was traditionally held with the cast members of "Monty Python" every 3.7 years and comprised of a bunch of absurd gaming events like "100 meters for men with no sense of direction."