ESPN celebrates 10 years of The Ocho with three-day sports marathon – ESPN8: The Ocho returns for its 10th anniversary with 72 hours devoted to unusual, unexpected and rarely televised competitions.
The event will take over ESPN and ESPN2 from Friday, 7 August to Sunday, 9 August. Dog surfing, corgi racing, robot fighting, slippery stairs, arm wrestling, axe throwing and Banana Ball are among the sports on the Australian schedule.
For Australian viewers, the anniversary marathon begins at 1.00pm AEST on Friday. The local schedule makes the movie-inspired programming stunt a substantial weekend event rather than a one-off novelty.
How ESPN8: The Ocho Began
The Ocho began as a playful reference to the fictional ESPN8 channel in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. ESPN then turned the joke into an annual showcase for sports that rarely receive national television coverage.
During the past decade, the event has expanded from a one-day stunt into a multi-day, multi-platform celebration. It now combines live events, studio coverage, streaming access and fan experiences.
Popular events returning in 2026 include Ultimate Frisbee, Cornhole and Slippery Stairs. This year’s lineup also features the World Dog Surfing Championships, Corgi Racing, the Wiener Dog Derby, T-Rex racing and NHRL Prime Time Robot Fighting.
The Savannah Bananas will bring their entertainment-focused version of baseball to Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. Their two-game series against the Loco Beach Coconuts is part of the anniversary program.
Friday, 7 August On ESPN
- 1.00pm AEST: 2026 World Dog Surfing Championships
- 1.30pm: 2026 Corgi Racing
- 2.00pm: Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby
- 2.30pm: T-Rex World Championships
- 3.00pm: National Ball Hockey League: 2025 Tier 1 Championship
- 4.00pm: 2026 National Putting Tour’s The Putting Zone Shootout
- 4.30pm: NHRL Prime Time Robot Fighting
- 5.00pm: NTPA Unlimited Pulling Tractors
- 5.30pm: Grass Drag Racing Season Opener
- 6.00pm: Bike Polo Championships
- 6.30pm: Broom Hockey Championships
- 7.00pm: Bottlesbee Pro Tour
- 7.30pm: PaddleSmash World Championship
- 8.00pm: 2026 Corgi Racing
- 8.30pm: Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby
- 9.00pm: The National Beach Tennis Invitational
- 9.30pm: The Dunk Toss World Championships
Saturday, 8 August On ESPN2
- 5.00am AEST: Combat Archery
- 6.00am: Broom Hockey Championship
- 7.00am: National Beach Tennis
- 7.30am: World Dog Surfing Championship
- 8.00am: The Popdarts Championship
- 9.00am: Pop-A-Shot National Championship
- 10.00am: Banana Ball: Savannah Bananas v Loco Beach Coconuts
- 12.00pm: 2026 National Putting Tour
- 12.30pm: PaddleSmash World Championship
- 1.00pm: Slippery Stairs: Prime Time Chaos
- 2.00pm: World Series of Arm Wrestling
- 3.00pm: Major League Table Tennis
- 4.00pm: Big League Chew
- 4.30pm: 2026 Roofball US Open
- 5.30pm: USA Jigsaw Nationals
- 7.00pm: Donk Toss Bikini Island Challenge
Sunday, 9 August On ESPN And ESPN2
- 12.00pm AEST: United Grid League: Wolves v Brigade, ESPN2
- 1.00pm: World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship, ESPN2
- 2.00pm: 2026 Omega Ball Championship, ESPN2
- 3.00pm: World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship, ESPN2
- 4.00pm: Extreme Archery Championship, ESPN2
- 5.00pm: Pro Paintball 3v3 National Championship, ESPN2
- 5.30pm: Goodyear Blimp: Tri in the Sky, ESPN2
- 6.00pm: Bare Knuckle Fighting Ice Wars, ESPN2
- 6.30pm: The 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament, ESPN2
- 7.00pm: Banana Ball: Savannah Bananas v Loco Beach Coconuts, ESPN
- 7.00pm: 2026 Nok Hockey Championship, ESPN2
- 7.30pm: Pumpkin Sling Championship, ESPN2
How To Watch In Australia
ESPN8: The Ocho airs from Friday, 7 August to Sunday, 9 August across ESPN and ESPN2.
ESPN and ESPN2 are available in Australia through Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo Sports and Fetch TV. Viewers can also visit the consumer-facing ESPN Australia website.
For more ESPN stories, visit TV Central’s ESPN section.
