There's more to sport than football!
Although its doesnt attract big crowds or money, Pato is the national sport of Argentina. It was invented in the 17th century and originally involved two teams on horses trying to prevent each other from carrying a duck (pato in Spanish) to their farmhouse. The sport was banned for a while because of violence not only to the duck, but also to other players. Some were killed in fights or because horses kicked them. The modern game (sometimes also known as horseball) is a lot safer. Teams of four riders fight for the duck (now a ball with handles) and throw and catch it to try and score in their opponents net.
Since 1948, Keirin has become one of Japans biggest sports with over 20 million spectators a year attending events. People now bet over $15 billion dollars on the outcome of the races. Keirin is like horse racing, but with cyclists. Nine competitors ride round a track, following a cyclist who sets the pace at about 50km/h. He then leaves the track so the riders can race each other for the last part of the race, reaching speeds of 70km/h. There are often crashes as there is so little space to race in. Riders have to train 15 hours a day in special schools to be able to race, and can win millions of dollars.
Bossaball is quite a new game with a small but growing number of fans. It was invented in 2004 by a Belgian, Filip Eyckmans, and first became popular in Spain. Its played on a special inflatable pitch and is a mixture of volleyball, football, gymnastics and dance. Players bounce up and down and aim to pass, kick and head the ball over the net. The rules are quite complicated, but you basically lose a point when the ball touches the floor. The referee is also a DJ who plays Brazilian music as the teams play
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