年 有哪些小衆賽事可看

This is the year of the niche athlete, the retroactive sport, the shirtless uniform. It’s an opportunity to travel to remote destinations to watch those who believe that competing with the elements, as well as with one another, makes for a neat challenge.

今年會有很多小衆賽事、歷史悠久的賽事和赤膊上陣的賽事，這些運動員們認爲與自然環境和其他選手競爭是最高尚的挑戰。想去偏遠的地方旅遊看比賽，現在正是良機。

Since its public outing as a demonstration sport at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, competitive ice climbing has hit new highs with spectators, which the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (U.I.A.A.) hopes to parlay into a bona fide slot at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

自從攀冰在索契冬奧會開幕式上公開展示之後，這項運動的觀衆人數達到了歷史新高，國際登山聯合會(UIAA)希望藉機使它成爲2018年韓國平昌冬奧會上的一個真正的比賽項目。

Ice climbing is no gradual ascent up Everest. It’s a test of speed and agility, during which climbers scale slick 75-foot multitowered ice structures with 70-degree overhangs using nothing but crampons, ice axes and their own strength. You can catch the U.I.A.A. Ice Climbing World Championshipslive in two chilly but intriguing destinations: first, in Rabenstein, Italy (Jan. 30 to Feb. 1), and later in Kirov, Russia (March 6 to 8). And in between there’s the French World Cup in Champagny (Feb. 5 to 7).

攀冰不是慢慢爬上珠穆拉瑪峯，而是對速度和敏捷的考驗，攀登者要爬上光滑的多層冰架，高達75英尺，其中包括70度懸巖，只能依靠釘鞋、冰斧和自己的力量。你可以在兩個非常寒冷但十分有趣的地方現場觀看國際登山聯合會舉辦的攀冰世界錦標賽：第一個是在意大利的拉本施泰因（1月30日至2月1日），第二個是在俄羅斯的基洛夫（3月6日至8日）。這兩個賽事之間，還有在尚帕尼舉辦的法國攀冰世界盃（2月5日至7日）。

Though most know it as a misfit fusion sport for millennials, stand-up paddle boarding has been doggy-paddling toward legitimacy as a competitive sporting event for the last three years at the International Surfing Association’s annual World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship. The fourth annual (May 10 to 17) moves from Nicaragua to Sayulita, Mexico, an easy-to-reach destination that the I.S.A. hopes will draw more fans and provide choppier waters for competitors. The true test of legitimacy? If Hawaii, which competes separately from the United States and is considered one of the best teams in the world, joins in to give the reigning Australian champs a run for their money.

雖然大多數人認爲立式單槳衝浪是一項搭配不當的融合運動，屬於千禧一代，但是過去三年，國際衝浪協會每年都舉辦世界立式單槳衝浪錦標賽，使它漸漸成爲一項正統的競技性體育賽事。第四屆錦標賽（5月10日至17日）從尼加拉瓜搬到了墨西哥的薩尤利塔，後者更易到達，國際衝浪協會希望這裏能給選手們提供更洶涌的波浪，還能吸引更多粉絲。對這項賽事正統性真正的考驗是什麼？是夏威夷隊——它不是美國隊的一部分，而是單獨組隊，被認爲是世界上最棒的隊伍之一——能否和衛冕冠軍澳大利亞一決高下。

Scotland’s Cowal Highland Gathering on Bute island in the Firth of Clyde (Aug. 27 to 29), on the other hand, does not want for crowds. After more than a hundred years it has established itself as the biggest display of traditional Highland Games in the world. Sturdy kilt-wrapped men and women tossing trees and lead balls are at the heart of it all, but in recent years the simultaneous World Highland Dancing Championship has begun to overshadow the games with hundreds of dancers from all over the world competing for titles each day. (Needless to say, there will be no shortage of pipers to accompany them.)

蘇格蘭克萊德灣比特島上的科瓦爾高地運動會（8月27日至29日）可不缺觀衆。在舉辦一百多年之後，它已成爲世界上最大的傳統高地運動賽事。其核心項目是身穿蘇格蘭裙的健壯男女們扔樹和鉛球，但是近幾年同時舉辦的世界高地舞蹈錦標賽開始搶去了它的風頭，每天來自世界各地的成百上千名舞蹈者在這裏爭奪冠軍（不用說，絕不會缺少風笛手爲他們伴奏）。

Relay horse-racing, another sport deeply rooted in tribal culture, considers itself the oldest extreme sport in North America, according to the Professional Indian Horse Racing Association. The races, during which riders jump from one horse to another while galloping at high speeds, are believed to date back more than 400 years to when American Indians honed their relay skills for war, to hunt buffalo or to capture wild horses.

接力賽馬是另一項深深植根於部落文化的運動。印第安職業賽馬協會認爲它是北美最古老的極限運動。比賽中，騎手們從一匹飛馳的賽馬跳到另一匹上。這項運動可以追溯到400多年前，當時美洲印第安人爲了打仗、捕獵野牛或野馬而鍛鍊接力技巧。

They’ve continued since, though mostly in small numbers on reservations in the northern Plains or at rodeos, but a recent boost in interest inspired the association to sponsor the first All Nations Indian Relay Championships in 2013. The next, in Sheridan, Wyo. (Sept. 11 to 13) will feature 30 teams from at least 12 nations.

這項運動流傳了下來，雖然主要是在北部平原的印第安保留地或牛仔競技表演上偶爾出現，但是近幾年人們對這項運動的興趣漸長，因此，該協會在2013年舉辦了第一屆印第安各族接力賽馬錦標賽。下一屆比賽將在懷俄明州謝里登舉行（9月11日至13日），屆時將有來自至少12個印第安族羣的30支隊伍參賽。

Speaking of powerful animals, it shouldn’t be surprising that Red Bull, the energy drink maker, has become the de facto sponsor of almost every sporting event designed to make a viewer’s heart stop. Luckily, most are set in relaxing environments like Bilbao, Spain, where the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will have divers dropping from the La Salve Bridge to fall 80 feet against the backdrop of the Guggenheim Museum and into the Nervión River.

提到勇猛的動物，不出人們所料，功能性飲料製造商紅牛是許多驚險體育賽事的實際贊助人。幸運的是，大多數賽事安排在令人放鬆的環境中，比如西班牙的畢爾巴鄂——紅牛懸崖跳水世界系列賽將在那裏舉行，選手們將從拉撒爾夫橋上下落80英尺，跳入內爾維翁河，古根海姆博物館充當這一賽事的背景。

For something a bit closer to the ground (though not by much) Red Bull also sponsors the Art of Motion, a free-running and parkour showcase of athletes who bounce, tuck, roll and leap over the rooftops of Santorini, Greece (Oct. 3).

紅牛還贊助了另一項更接近地面的運動（雖然也不是太接近）——移動的藝術(Art of Motion)，它將展示自由奔跑和跑酷技術，屆時運動員們將在希臘聖托裏尼島的屋頂上彈跳、蜷縮、翻滾、跳躍（10月3日）。