There are a lot of strange competitive sports in the world, but this one seems rather tame compared to, say, running down a steep hill chasing a wheel of cheese!
In the International Space-Out Competition, the goal is to do as absolutely little as possible for 90 minutes. Sounds easy, right?
The rules for the Space-Out Competition are simple. Competitors are free to alter their position as often as they like — you don’t have to hold a lotus pose for an hour and a half. Most choose to lie on their backs or stomach. If you’ve ever tried guided meditation, you’ve probably heard experts advise against such relaxed positions due to the high likelihood of inadvertently catching some Zs. But many competitors take the risk, even though sleeping results in immediate disqualification. The same goes for laughing or chatting. Music is also banned.
“It’s the quietest competition in the world,” said Woopsyang, an artist and one of the founders of the unique event. And that’s kind of the point.
If the players do need a bathroom break, they can communicate using colored cards and be excused. When 90 minutes are up, the 10 players who seem the most relaxed are chosen by judges. Of these, the person whose heart rate graph shows the steadiest downward trend throughout the competition is declared the winner.
The competition was designed as a way to stop the anxiety and stress we feel from the “always on” culture of today. We have to be always on at work, always on social media, and being always on means little to no time remains for relaxation and mental recovery. The Space-out Competition is a way to allow the competitors time to reset.
More and more of us are learning this lesson. Since its inception in Korea in 2014, the competition has found appreciative competitors everywhere from Beijing, to Hong Kong, Minato City and Suwon. It’s been so popular that Woopsyang has lost track of how many events have been held over the past 10 years, but estimates it’s well into the dozens, with multiple local and international contests taking place each year.
Would you like to take part in this competition, or would doing nothing for 90 minutes be too stressful?
On a busy October afternoon in Ark Karajan Place in the bustling Tokyo Metropolis, 70 people took their places, plopped down inside a taped-off square of floorspace and…did nothing. This was no silent demonstration, but a fiercely competitive 90-minute challenge in which Japan’s most stressed out people came to do as little as humanly possible.
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