The world of sports can be a wacky and amazing distraction for many people from the mundane tasks of everyday life. Sometimes the world of sports can just be wacky and amazing all on its own. Here is a list and slideshow of photos of 10 amazing sports venues in the world today.
By amazing sports venues, I mean crazy places where sporting events take place or at least have taken place in the past. Some of the amazing sports venues are located in spectacular settings one would not image a sporting event could take place. One of the amazing sports venues on the list is actually one of the great wonders of the world. Hope you enjoy the list and photos in the slideshow.
Since 1999, an annual marathon is run along the Great Wall of China. A total of 2,500 runners from over 60 nations compete in the Great Wall of China marathon. The event actually offers runners a full marathon, a half-marathon and an 8.5 km fun run. Runners doing the full marathon have to come prepared because it's a grueling race that includes 5,164 steps up and down the Great Wall of China one of the wonders of the world.
In 2005, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played a tennis match on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. You will get dizzy just looking at the pictures of the tennis match in the slideshow if you are afraid of heights. Just warning you before you look because they are 689 feet in the air with no safety nets playing tennis.
On November 11, 2011, Michigan State and North Carolina played a college basketball game on the deck of the aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson. On November 9, 2012, a women's college basketball game was played on the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier between Notre Dame and Ohio State. A men's game was also going to be played that night but it was cancelled due to condensation on the court. Aircraft carriers are not great places to play basketball games.
The Qizhong Tennis Center is located in Shanghai, China. The official flower of Shanghai is the magnolia. The Qizhong Tennis Center was built with eight sliding metal pieces that resemble the pedals of a magnolia flower for the roof. The roof is retractable, so when it's open it resembles the magnolia. It takes just eight minutes to open or close the roof.
Inside the huge shopping mall called the Mall of the Emirates in the desert in Dubai is a indoor skiing center called Ski Dubai. The ski slope comes complete with a chairlift. The temperature inside Ski Dubai is kept at 30 degrees during the day and then 21 degrees at night. I believe the X Games held some events at Ski Dubai one year.
Since 1999, the World Ice Golf Championship has been played on Greenland's first golf course which is located on a small island called Uummannaq. The tournament is sponsored by liquor maker Drambuie and you'd probably need a few shots before you freeze your tail off playing in the 36-hole tournament. Golfers use red, yellow and green balls on the icy snow covered course.
The soccer stadium in Braga, Portugal, called Braga Stadium, is pretty unique because it was carved right out of a mountain quarry called Monte Castro that overlooks the city of Braga. The capacity of Braga Stadium is 30,286. The local Sporting Club de Braga, also known as S.C. Braga plays their home soccer matches in the stadium.
In 2009, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal kicked off the ATP Tour at the Qatar Open by playing a tennis match on a boat in Doha Bay, Qatar. The boat was a dhow which is a traditional Arab sailing vessel used in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The tennis court on the boat was not life-sized as you can see in the photos.
Every year in the summer there is a crazy horse race held in Italy right in the center of the town square called the Piazza del Campo in the city of Siena in Tuscany. The riders go around the square with fans watching from inside the town square and outside. And to top it all off the riders ride the horses bareback and dressed in crazy silks. Many of the riders fall off going around the treacherous square course at top speed which I guess adds to the fun for the spectators.
Located on Marina Bay in Singapore is a floating platform that has been used for soccer matches and many other events. The platform is made of steel and it can hold 1070 tonnes. The stands behind the floating field, which are on solid ground, can hold up to 35,000 spectators.
