Russians combine basketball, rugby and wrestling
Russia's rugball game has gone viral
Location: Moscow, Russia
The sport combines basketball, rugby, and wrestling
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) HEAD OF RUSSIAN RUGBALL FEDERATION, IVAN ANDREEV, SAYING:
"Unlike basketball, many things are allowed in rugball. But it also has rules as well. You can't lift your opponent off the ground, you can't hold them with your hands joined together, you can push their backs."
Rugball became an officially recognized sport in 2003
The exact origins are unknown but it dates back to the Soviet Union
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) HEAD OF RUSSIAN RUGBALL FEDERATION, IVAN ANDREEV, SAYING:
"Back in the Soviet Union wrestlers used to play so-called "wrestling basketball" as a part of the training process. As time passed this wrestling basketball turned into a sport."
