International King of Sports

International King of Sports is a multi-event sports competition held yearly. The events are unusual sports rarely undertaken outside of this competition and are often variants of standard track and field sports.

The current International King of Sports (2003) is Australian Adam Horder.

Events

There are seven heats, each made up of five of the following events. Each heat has four competitors. The winner from each heat goes through to the final, along with the highest-scoring runner-up, to give eight contestants.

3 metre Sprint

The 3 metre sprint is similar to the 100 metre sprint; however, it takes place over a three metre distance. The races last under a second and require a photo finish to determine who has won. Two false starts lead to disqualification from the event.

10G human slalom

Contestants run downhill, taking a zigzag course through ten gates, each composed of a pair of flags on pole. They are allowed to touch the flags, but they must not be knocked down.

The course for the 2004 competition is designed with the first half of the course being steep, requiring nimbleness and technique as much as speed, while the second half allows the contestants to run faster.

Association bobbage

Contestants wearing flippers jump into a swimming pool from a platform, the height of which is gradually raised. The aim is to land without your head going underwater. The world record is currently held by Laszlo 'The Human Dolphin' Fazekas (Hungary) and is 2.40 m.

Backwards 200 m

This is a 200 m race in which the contestants run backwards. They must only run within their appointed lane.

Fall down

Contestants have to fall to the floor as fast as possible from a standing position. For a fall to be valid the contestants head must make contact with a cushioned pressure sensitive pad on the floor. The event is run as a knockout with the slowest contestant in each round being eliminated, until one winner is left.

Headlong dive

This event takes place on a long jump track and pit. Rather than landing feet first, contestants jump headlong; if their feet touch the sand, their effort is a no-jump. Iggy Singh (GB) broke the world record with a majestic leap of 8m75 and is the current world record holder, a paerticularly fantastic achievement considering the last record was set at altitude in Saporo Japan

International skids

Contestants take a short run-up to a lubricant-coated track, on which they skid. Skids only count if the contestant does not fall over.

The lubricant coating of the track was changed for the 2004 competition, from olive oil to xanthan gum. This led to the world record being broken three times in the first heat. The current record is held by Brian Clark (GB), and is around 550 centimetres.

Pool hang

Contestants must hang onto a bar suspended above a swimming pool for as long as possible. They can only use their hands to grip the bar. The event is done as a knockout with contestants competing in pairs. The winning contestants in the heats meet in a final to decide first place, with the losers competing for third place.

Tennis whack

This event has contestants competing using a tennis racquet and a tennis ball. The aim is to see who can hit the ball vertically up in the air the longest time. This is measured in seconds.

peed-gun run

Contestants sprint down a twenty metre track; their speed is measured close to the end, just before they run into an upright crash mat. The current world record of 20.27 mph (32.62 km/h) is held by Hugo 'The Human Rhino' Mybergh (RSA).

Under hurdles

This event is identical to the 110 metres hurdles track event, except that the competitors must go under the horizontal bar of the hurdle instead of over it. This makes the event more difficult, and the times taken to complete the course are greater than standard hurdling times. International hurdler Liam Collins smashed the world record dipping his way to a staggering 19.62.

Underwater shot put

This is identical to the field athletics event shot put (throwing a ball with a pushing motion), except that it takes place under water. Rather than being made of metal, the shot used is a leather ball filled with sand. Competitors can achieve distances of 4 m and more.

Uphill long jump

Vertical standing jump

Contestants must jump from standing onto a table-like platform. There is no run-up, and no bouncing is allowed; momentum is gained primarily through swinging the arms. The contestants' feet - and not their knees - must touch the platform first. The current world record was set at 137.5 centimetres by Jean Piers (RSA).

Water jump

From a short run-up, contestants jump from a springboard over a horizontal pole into a swimming pool. Unlike the high jump, which this event resembles, contestants tend to favour a face-down dive over the bar, sometimes with a somersault. The world record is 180 centimetres, and was set in the 2003 competition by William Pobie (GB), a man who couldn't swim.

2004 Competition

For reasons unknown, the program was removed from the schedules part-way through the 2004 competition, and has not been shown since. As a result, the winner of the 2004 competition has not been revealed to the general public, although Brian Clark (GB was leading the competition before broadcasting was cancelled. It is noted that, in one episode, one of the athletes refers to the '2003' competition, which does not exist. It is believed that this blooper is as a result of the completed 2003 series being delayed and reedited as the 2004 series.

Broadcasting "International King of Sports"

The television programme of "International King of Sports" is produced by Endemol, and in the UK is broadcast on Five. It is presented by Helen Chamberlain and Mark Robson, with commentary from Alan Parry.

The programme won a bronze award in the Game Show category at the Montreux Television Festival in 2003.

External links

* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8304-1242886,00.html Article on "International King of Sports" from "The Times"]