Germans get muddy for charity

BRUNSBUTTEL, Germany, July 30 (UPI) -- Organizers of the Mud Olympics in Germany said 34 teams competed in events including soccer, volleyball, handball and mud sledding.

The organizers said the athletes gathered Sunday in Brunsbuttel to compete in the events in the Elbe river mud-flats and raise money for a local counseling service for cancer patients, The Local.de reported Monday.

They said they are hoping the event, which was the ninth annual Mud Olympics, will result in a donation as large as last year's $183,705.

Insa Krups, who played soccer with her team, said they key to mud sports is to "grip your opponent and force them into a mud-wrestle."