"Pölhövaara is a swampy area near the town of Hyrynsalmi, some 650 kilometers northeast of Helsinki. Forests and swamps stretch across the countryside as far as the eye can see.Once a year, this unassuming area becomes home to a very unusual sports event: swamp soccer. It all started 10 years ago with a handful of Finnish teams. Since then, the event has grown into a major spectacle, attracting some 260 men's, women's and mixed teams from various countries.
The soccer fields, marked with yellow plastic bands, actually have more similarities to pig pens than they do to pitches. The game lasts for two periods of 25 minutes each. On this swampy ground, it involves wading, crawling or sculling in dark brown mud. A bright red t-shirt soon turns into a dirty rag after kickoff, and many a face and hair is smeared with dirt."
Read more: www.dw.de
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