Skip to content

Shin-kicking champion crowned at ancient games

PA Three young men standing in a large industrial plastic bag which says 'Cotswold Building Supplies' on the side. They are competing in a sack race during the Cotswold Olimpick Games. There are large crowds of spectators in the background, sitting on a grassy hill. It appears to be approaching dusk and the light is low and slightly orange.PA
The rural games is comprised of events including long jump, the wooden pillar throw, tug of war, sack race, shin-kicking and other running events

A new shin-kicking champion has been crowned as part of a sporting tradition that dates back more than 400 years.

The annual Cotswold Olimpick Games, which were first held in 1612, took place on Dover's Hill near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, on Friday.

The rural games are still held in the arena that bears the founder's name, after local attorney Robert Dover wanted to channel the competitive traits of residents.

Events include the wooden pillar throw, sack race and shin-kicking, where players pad their legs with straw and attempt to force their opponent to the ground.

More from Gloucestershire

The games preceded the modern Olympic Games by almost 300 years.

It is thought William Shakespeare may have attended the event shortly before his death in 1616.

Once famous for a greasy pole-climbing competition that would grant the winner a piglet, past games have included horse racing, hare coursing and shooting.

Former chairman Tom Threadgill said: "It got shut down for the last time in the mid-1850s because of 30,000 people coming.

"It's been banned at a number of points across its 400 years."

PA A man wearing khaki trousers and a green long-sleeved top. He is throwing a long wooden pole ahead of him using both hands, while several onlookers watch behind him. They are competing on a large grassy field, with a sloped hill and trees in the background.PA
The wooden pillar throw sees participants lift a heavy wooden pole and heave it forward, aiming to flip it neatly so it lands straight ahead of them

While most modern disciplines are friendly contests, the shin-kicking elicited winces and moans of sympathy from the crowd of more than 2,500 spectators on Friday.

Each participant must wear trousers, with straw available for them to create a layer of padding on their shins.

Contestants hold each other by the shoulder and try to kick each other's shins and force their opponent to the ground.

The stickler, or referee, has to make sure that shins are kicked before a fall can count.

PA A composite image showing two pictures side by side. On the left is a black and white archive picture of two men engaged in a shin kicking competition in 1951. They are wearing long white tunics and trousers, and are holding each others' shoulders as one kicks the other's shin. On the right there is a modern coloured image of the same event in 2026.PA
The shin-kicking competition, pictured here in 1951 and 2026, is a well-known discipline at the Cotswolds Olimpick Games

Competing for the second year, Gareth Way said while kicking remains the main focus, shoving and wrestling your opponent is "at least 50% of it".

"You feel that more than you feel your shins," he said laughing.

"I've got almost football-style socks so they hold the padding in well. Because of that, the blows aren't as bad."

Three-time champion and newly appointed stickler Mike Newby crowned Andrew Bailey the 2026 winner after he bravely opted to compete without straw padding.

Attendees this year travelled from as far as North Carolina in the United States.

In 2012, event organisers were even contacted by the Olympic Committee to feature in a London 2012 Olympics promotional video.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story
Related internet links