Swamp Soccer Cup Culminates in Russia

The 2017 Open Swamp Cup Russia was held on June 17 on the Myavrinskoe swamp between the villages of Pogi and Novaya in Leningrad Region. Twelve teams got dirty during the annual competition.

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.