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India’s Rural Olympics Are Not for the Faint of Heart

Farming machinery and bullock carts and lots of holding heavy things with your teeth — that's what the Kila Raipur Sports Festival is made of

By Feb. 05, 2013
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An Indian man participates in the bullock-cart race at the rural Olympics in Kila Raipur, India, on Jan. 31, 2012

Getting run over by a tractor, carrying a bicycle in your teeth and standing on top of two horses as they gallop down a field — welcome to India’s rural Olympics, which gives a new meaning to the term extreme sports.

Formally known as the Kila Raipur Sports Festival, the event takes place every year and attracts more than 4,000 men and women, according to the British newspaper the Daily Mail.

The festival first began in 1933 and is a celebration of rural life in India’s farming belt, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This year’s four-day event was held in Kila Raipur, India, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, and featured major Punjabi rural sports like bullock-chariot racing, tug-of-war and tractor racing, according to NBC Sports.

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The rural Olympics are a test of strength, skill and endurance for participants who, according to the Daily Mail, range in age “from teenagers to pensioners.”

And like track and field, which tends to be a fan favorite at the Summer Olympic Games, the bullock-cart race is the main attraction at the Rural Olympics, which according to the Daily Mail, comes with a cash prize.

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