4-3 India's Rural Olympics

Narrator: The main event at India's Rural Olympics is underway. Bulls racing down a 300-meter track. The jockeys shrieking to get the animals to accelerate. The winning time is just under 20 seconds.

It's the main attraction for tens of thousands of visitors to this annual sporting festival in India's Punjab state. This is the 77th edition of the games. After the single cart event, it's four at a time. Lately, the bullock cart race has attracted unwanted attention. Locals are thrilled it's even happening this year.

Amol Sharma: Animal rights groups say the race is cruel to the bulls and they pushed successfully last year to ban it. But it's back at the 2013 games and fans are loving it.

Narrator: A local court lifted the ban after event organizers and competitors convinced the judges that they're taking good care of the animals.

Nishan Singh: Only people who aren't familiar with these games say these things. Ask anyone. Watch how we treat this bull for 24 hours. We take care of him better than a child. Why would I drug him?

Gursandeep Singh Grewal: Farmers and bulls have had a bond since the very beginning. That's why this race is famous. Bulls have been farmers' companions for years.

Narrator: But there's no guarantee that all will go according to plan on race day. Some bulls aren't sure where the finish line is. And jockeys beware, this isn't for the faint of heart.

Kulvinder Singh: Men get injured. Their bones break. Their teeth also break. It's very risky.

Narrator: The Rural Olympics may look small-time, but they've got some big-time corporate sponsors. For entertainment, the audience is treated to a dancing camel and a troop of Bhangra folk dancers.

Fans come for the bullock cart races but stay for events like pulling cars with your ears. Karnal Singh says he's won several village tournaments.

Karnal Singh: We do this for money, trophies, fame, and respect.

Narrator: Singh started ear-pulling motorcycles before graduating to cars. He says his ears go numb after the act. There are also demonstrations of dental fortitude. A man lifts dirt-filled sacks with his teeth. Another balances a plow with a bicycle on it. Organizers say those showcases of skill go nicely alongside Olympic-style sports like the 100-meter dash.

Gursandeep Singh Grewal: There's so much variety here. You'll see men straddling horses. The modern games like hockey and athletics, we have all that too. We try to balance both, traditional and modern.

Amol Sharma: In Kila Raipur, India, this is Amol Sharma for the Wall Street Journal.