No great loss: Nine events better than the Commonwealth Games

Held in San Sebastian in early September every year, the Euskal Jaiak, or Basque Festival, is a celebration of all things Basque, including its sports. This semi-autonomous region in Spain’s north has a whole swag of unique games, from the simple and self-explanatory – wood-chopping, stone-lifting, hay-bale-tossing – to the more complex and rules-based – Basque pelota, kind of like squash using only hands, and jai alai, using large baskets on your hand to hurl a ball at a wall. These will be a quirk of culture to visitors, and deeply held traditions to locals.

Marathon du Medoc, France

This is not exactly a serious sporting event, but it is representative of culture, and it is well worth attempting to participate in if you find yourself in the area. The Marathon du Medoc is a full 42km running race, only it’s one that passes through 59 vineyards with numerous stops along the way to sample the produce of south-western France. Participants taste wine, eat oysters, try some steak, eat some cheese, and even nibble on foie gras. There’s a six-and-a-half-hour time limit, too, so you really have to motor if you hope to sample all that the marathon has to offer.

Nagol Festival, Vanuatu

This ancient custom was barely known to the rest of the world until a Kiwi bloke called Allan John Hackett noticed what was happening in Vanuatu and decided to jump from great heights with a rope tied around his ankles as well – only, his would be made of elastic. In Vanuatu, men on Pentecost Island climb up huge wooden towers, some 30 metres in the air, and then dive off them with nothing but a couple of tree vines wrapped around their ankles. Land diving takes place each year between April and June, and has become a popular, if still adventurous tourist attraction.

Castellers, Spain

Speaking of great heights, and long falls – check out the art of the “castellers” in Catalunya, Spain. These are the famed builders of human pyramids, towers of people who are all standing on each others’ shoulders, incredible structures that can be up to 10 levels high and require the strength and teamwork of hundreds of people. Though you can witness castellers at most major Catalan festivals, the practice originated in the town of Valls, and is perhaps still most passionately performed there.

Nada no Kenka Matsuri, Japan

Japan has no shortage of festivals and events that involve activities that are absolutely baffling and maybe even objects of fun for outsiders, and yet deeply held traditions for those participating. One notable example is Nada no Kenka, the “fighting festival”, held in the city of Himeji each October. During the festival, teams of men carry large shrines and crash into other teams, attempting to hoist rivals’ shrines above their own. It’s a rough and occasionally violent event with few accepted rules – though it’s limited to men from high school age up to 45.

Calcio Storico, Italy

The concept of violence and no rules brings us to Calcio Storico, or “historic football”, a game played only in June in Florence, Italy, and one of deep passion and shocking brutality. Here’s how it goes: two teams of 27 players face off against each other on a rectangular pitch for 50 minutes. The idea is to get the ball into your opponents’ goal. And there are no more rules. That’s it. Anything goes. Any level of violence is permissible as players attempt to stop their opponents from getting to the ball. It’s wild.

Schwingen, Switzerland

Who needs events like judo and freestyle wrestling at the Comm Games when you have schwingen?This is a traditional sport in rural Switzerland, a form of wrestling where two opponents – mostly men, though now sometimes women – don hessian wrestling shorts over their sensible trousers and face off in a sawdust-covered ring, where they attempt to force the other’s shoulder blades or back onto the ground to score a win. Events are held outdoors, often in stunning alpine locations, and spectators can consume beer and sausages. The Commonwealth Games just can’t compete.