Knee Deep in Mud: Russian Team Wins Swamp Football World Cup 2017

The sport is said to have arrived from Finland, where it initially was used as an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers. The first organized tournament was the 1998 Finnish championship; it was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen, nicknamed "The Swamp Baron." There are currently an estimated 300 swamp football teams around the world.