Dane wins World Ice Cream Kicking Championships

By Martin Burlund

AARHUS, Denmark (Reuters Life!) - Kicking a litre of vanilla ice cream 24.6 meters on Saturday secured Dane Steen Nielsen victory in a bizarre event organisers had billed as the 7th World Ice Cream Kicking Championships.

Saturday's festival, one of Denmark's most wacky contributions to the world of international sport, is simply about booting a litre of vanilla ice cream as far as possible.

Organisers have likened the event to a blend of stand up comedy, improvisational theatre and competitive sport. All of the contestants in this year's contest but one was Danish.

"Americans also regard themselves as the world's best at their sports without competing with anyone outside their continent. So we call this the World Championships because we are the best at kicking ice cream," one of the organisers, Carsten Christensen, told Reuters.

Just 40 competitors could take part in the contest at the botanical gardens in Denmark's second-biggest city, Aarhus.

First in line to sign up was Kenny Mithbo who had travelled from the Danish capital Copenhagen to ensure he got a starting number in the highly social event, which typically features afternoon alcohol consumption, bravado and wacky costumes.

This year saw a Ninja Turtle and an Indiana Jones impersonator, but as Mithbo had no costume, he stripped off and kicked in the nude.

Unfortunately for Mithbo, the pressure of competing naked impaired his ability and his ice cream flew only 17 meters -- not far enough to qualify for the finals.