Sports galore in England. Courtesy of VisitEngland

With less than two years to go until the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, VisitEngland is highlighting sports that visitors might not necessarily expect to find throughout the country. From unexpected sports, including surfing and underwater hockey, to unusual games such as shin-kicking and pancake races, England offers activities for every level of athlete and sports enthusiast.

"There has never been a more thrilling time for sports fans to visit England, as a unique sense of excitement permeates across the country in preparation for the world’s attention to be focused on England in the summer of 2012," said James Berresford, CEO of VisitEngland.

• More commonly associated with tropical beaches, surfing may not be a sport visitors naturally anticipate enjoying in England, yet Cornwall is one of Europe's top surfing destinations, offering over a dozen beaches, catering to surfing novices and pros alike. For especially adventurous surfers, kite surfing - a fusion of windsurfing, surfing, wake boarding and power kiting, has become a mainstay with Cornwall’s beach crowd.

• At the time of the 2012 Games, England will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of its Olympic roots – Captain Robert Dover’s Cotswolds Olympicks. Started by Dover, a local barrister, the world’s inaugural Olimpick Games were staged on a Cotswold hillside in 1612. Today the annual event, held at the start of June, attracts thousands of spectators as ‘athletes’ partake in countryside games such as obstacle courses and tug-of-war, in addition to unique sporting competitions such as shin kicking.

• While Olympic track stars may be preparing to sprint towards a Gold medal in 2012, lively women are preparing to run through the streets of Olney donning traditional housewife apparel, including a skirt, apron and scarf, for the Olney Pancake Race in Buckinghamshire. The 415-yard dash is held every Shrove Tuesday when women toss pancakes, then run through the town streets before tossing the pancakes again at the finish line. Once the race has finished the town celebrates with a Shriving Service at the local Parish Church where official prizes are presented. The race, which began over five centuries ago in 1445, became an international event in 1950 when the U.S town of Liberal, Kansas, joined the festivities to compete against Olney. The participant with the shortest time is declared the winner, determined during a phone call between the two cities.

• For travellers seeking an adrenaline rush but who aren’t quite ready to jump out of a plane or off a cliff, Bodyflight Bedford in the East of England is the world’s largest indoor skydiving facility. It provides visitors the opportunity to encounter what it feels like to jump out of a plane - but within the safety of a large wind tunnel with wind speeds of up to 180mph which support the body in mid air. Visitors wanting to try BASE jumping can safely imitate the experience at Vertigo, Bodyflight’s thrilling simulated BASE jump. Jumpers are attached to a bungee cord as they climb 125 feet to the top of the wind tunnel tower where they can enjoy the beautiful views of Bedfordshire, before safely “BASE” jumping to the ground. For those preferring water sports, Bodyflight Bedford’s FlowHouse facility offers flowboarding - a mix between surfing, skateboarding and wakeboarding.

• Underwater hockey, also known as Octopush, started in the early 1950s as a way to do aquatic aerobic exercise without simply swimming laps. Teams of up to 10 players, each wearing a mask, snorkel and fins as well as a water polo hat, use a small stick to push the puck toward the opposing team’s goal. Similar to tag wrestling, the game requires players to take turns surfacing for breaths of air while working together to push the puck into their opponent’s goal to score. Underwater hockey teams are located throughout England with several leagues including the North East Regional Octopush Club.

• Believed to be England’s oldest traditional tussle, The Haxey Hood Game, held at the start of each new year on January 6, takes place in the unassuming village of Haxey in Lincolnshire. The Haxey Hood is a re-enactment of a chivalrous act that occurred during the 14th Century as tradition is told, when Lady de Mowbray, wife of landowner John de Mowbray, was riding one day when her silk riding hood blew off and was blown across the field. Thirteen farm workers hurried across the field chasing the hood until one of the workers finally caught the hood and returned it to Lady de Mowbray. So impressed that her hood was returned she donated 13 acres of land, a parcel for each of the workers who ran after her hood, with the condition that the chase would be re-enacted each year. Resembling a rugby scuffle, The Haxey Hood has been played for over 700 years.

• For over 150 years, since 1852, Grasmere Sports has been one of the most popular and largest traditional events to be held in the Lake District, with main events including Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, fell running and hound trails. The hound trails is a competition featuring trained hounds that race after the scent of aniseed over the fells, and in recent years mountain bike races have been held.

• Bicycle Polo has been played in England for over a century and was a demonstration sport in the 1908 Olympics held in London. The game is traditionally played on a rectangular grass field, but in the past few years, Hardcourt Bike Polo has become increasingly popular, played on a hard surface such as a tennis court or street hockey rink. Both Bicycle and Hardcourt Bike Polo can be found throughout England, with Sheffield, South Yorkshire, being a recent addition.

• The Doggett’s Coat and Badge Race, the oldest single sculling race in the world, is held every July on the River Thames, from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier in Chelsea, London. It is the oldest organised race in English history, which started in 1715 by Irish actor and comedian, Thomas Doggett in honour of King George I’s accession to the throne. The course runs 7.24 km and is open to six men and women under the age of 26 on the day of the race. The winner is awarded a Waterman’s red coat and silver badge, a tradition that dates back to a ceremony held many years ago in Fishmongers’ Hall at London Bridge.