Odd News Roundup: Rugby: Tattooed Samoans don skin suits to avoid offending Japanese hosts

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

If marathons weren't hard enough already: strap a tree to your back

This Sunday in South Africa, an accountant, an entrepreneur and a boxing executive are among 20 friends running the Cape Town marathon - with saplings strapped to their backs. The group are promoting the planting of native trees amid a nationwide push to replace invasive species with indigenous one to cope with drought and climate change.

Rugby: Tattooed Samoans don skin suits to avoid offending Japanese hosts

Samoan players will wear their hearts on their sleeves - but keep traditional Pacific islander tattoos under wraps with skin suits during the World Cup in Japan to avoid offending their hosts. For the Japanese, tattoos have long been associated with members of 'yakuza' crime syndicates, and inked tourists may be met with disapproval and sometimes banned from gyms, bathhouses or traditional hot-spring resorts.

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