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2008 was an Olympic year but across the world others sportsmen and women were busy hurling pizzas, riding wooden bicycles and playing the noble game of golf at high altitude.
PHILIPPINES, Banaue : Igorot tribesman Robert Duyugan rides his wooden scooter in the northern mountainous town of Banaue during a competition on April 16, 2008 as the town celebrates the traditional Imbayah festival, a thanksgiving celebration for its bountiful rice harvests. Colourful parades and the environmentally friendly scooter race are among the highlights of the three-day festival. Igorot tribesmen are well-known master woodcarvers. AFP PHOTO
AUSTRIA, Höchfilzen : A biathlon fan braves the snow and the cold to watch the men’s 20 km individual biathlon World Cup in Hochfilzen on December 18,2008.Russia’s Maxim Tchoudov won ahead of his teammate Ivan Tcherezov and Sweden’s Bjoern Ferry. AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR
JAPAN, Yokohama : England club team Manchester United forward Nani (R) shields the ball from Japanese club team Gamba Osaka defender Akira Kaji (L) during their semi-final match in the FIFA Club World Cup 2008 in Yokohama on December 18, 2008. Manchester won the match by 5-3. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA
CHINA, Beijing : French Apolline Dreyfuss and Lila Meesemann-Bakir (R) perform in the synchronized swimming duet technical routine event at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 19, 2008. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAU
ITALY, Salsomaggiore Terme : Jay Shuurman of the US vies during the freestyle pizza competition as part of the 17th World Pizza Championship 2008 in Salsomaggiore Terme near Parma on April 23, 2008.
AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE
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La Paz : Andrea Quispe (L) an aymara indigenous woman, plays an approach shot as her colleague Marta Mamani holds the flag, during their work break at La Paz Golf Club on November 26, 2008. La Paz Golf Club is considered to be the highest one in the world, with courses ranging from 3,277 to 3,342 meters above sea level. Founded in 1912, the Club sits in the upscale district of southern La Paz, and its exclusive facilities receive the local elite. AFP PHOTO/Joao Padua
(AFP/Expatica 2008)