April 25, 2022 10.41 am This story is over 23 months old

World Egg Throwing Championships set for grand Lincolnshire return post-COVID

The event hasn’t taken place since 2019 due to the pandemic
The World Egg Throwing Championships is one of Britain's quirkiest sporting events, and it returns to Lincolnshire this year. | Photo: Swaton Vintage Day
By Local Democracy Reporter

One of the most eccentric sporting events is returning to Lincolnshire this summer, as competitors try not to crack under the pressure of the World Egg Throwing Championships.

The event will return to Swaton Vintage Day in the Lincolnshire village on Sunday, June 26, after a two-year break brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The World Egg Throwing Championships is an event which began in 2004, bringing people from all over the globe, but the reasons for it being here in Lincolnshire date back long before the 21st century.

Competitors face off in a number of disciplines, including roulette, throwing and catching. | Photo: Swaton Vintage Day

The long and proud history even dates back to the Middle Ages, with legend having it that Swaton’s abbot in 1322 was the only resident who owned chickens, doling out eggs to encourage church attendance.

When the river flooded and stopped people going to church, monks would throw eggs over the river, birthing a bizarre but brilliant tradition that supposedly lasted close to 700 years.

Careful not to crack! | Photo: Swaton Vintage Day

Organisers describe the competition as “a multi-discipline event testing sporting excellence”, testing people’s skills with games of Russian egg roulette, relay races and even throwing eggs at other people (three points for a groin shot, by the way).

It has twice been crowned as winner of Visit England’s quirkiest event award, and has generated international attention over the years, with competitors from as far afield as New Zealand, Japan and America.

Losers will end up with egg on their face, figuratively and literally. | Photo: Swaton Vintage Day

Remarkably it has resulted in international heat events in the build up to the World Championships here in Lincolnshire, with competitions taking place in the likes of India, Uganda, Belgium and the Philippines.

Details of the day have been posted to the Swaton Vintage Day website, with times of events and entry forms available.

There are some truly unique techniques on display. | Photo: Swaton Vintage Day