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New Delhi: The Extreme Ironing Competition is a bizarre sport that encourages participants to iron their clothes in the most thrilling and unconventional ways. The quirky sport that blends adventure with humour is not an official sport, but surely a cult activity that brings together people.
The sport originated in 1997. A factory worker named Phil Shaw from England's Leicester was irritated after he was forced to do house chores after work. So he decided to make the activity a little more interesting. He took the iron board to his backyard and decided to complete the chore while rock climbing. Soon after, he decided to take his ironing board to other unorthodox locations.
Subsequently, the man saw it as an opportunity. Now known as "Steam", he travelled to other countries and promoted the ironing routine as a sport. Finally, his dream came true. In 2002, the first official Extreme Ironing World Championships took place in Germany. The event saw participation from over 10 different countries. Contestants were scored based on their creativity, style of ironing, etc. Additionally, there are varied categories of the sport. From urban ironing to sky ironing, the categories are unheard of. Each participant must bring their clothes and an ironing board for the competition. Contestants use traditional irons in the contest.
Over the years, several shocking Extreme Ironing Competitions have taken place. Skydiving Ironing involved participants pressing clothes mid-air. Underwater Ironing at the Great Barrier Reef saw scuba divers ironing on the ocean floor. One other competition involved participants ironing while running.
A documentary, Extreme Ironing: Pressing for Victory, played a major role in the spreading the quirky game across the globe. People from the US, Germany, and Australia organise ironing challenges from time to time. The sport has its fans.
Have you heard of such games?
