We're living in a world with very few competitive team sports to watch due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Where once our televisions were abuzz with live football matches, cricket games and all the latest action from the basketball courts, now it's all gone quiet, as seasons have been cancelled and even the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until 2021.
So sports fans have turned to an unlikely source to get their live entertainment fix: marble racing.
Turns out, there's a whole industry behind the competitive sport (because that's what it is), and millions of people have been watching the races online.
While it's nothing new, the recent spike in interest began after a video of some marbles rolling around was tweeted out and went viral, receiving more than 35 million views.
Celebrities such as musician Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy, and British football legend Gary Lineker, even got involved. Wentz reposted the video, adding that he was on the "edge of my seat".
Tarek Salem, a Bahrain resident and recent marble racing convert, says he first heard about marble racing through a gaming communication app called Discord. "With a huge community base within the app, I stumbled across a post of a marble race and instantly got hooked."
So how does marble racing work?
Well, there's a commentator, but absolutely no human interaction, which makes it the perfect competition for a pandemic where everybody can still adhere to social distancing rules.
A bunch of colourful marbles – they have names such as Clementin, which races for team O'rangers, or Speedy, a member of the team Savage Speeders – race around courses until they're either knocked out or reach the finish line. The tracks are fairly elaborate, with twists, turns and even the odd conveyer belt. There are also stadiums set up around the edge, with an "audience" of variously coloured marbles grouped together.
Where did it all begin?
YouTubers (and brothers) Jelle and Dion Bakker started the popular channel Jelle's Marble Runs back in 2018 and it's had nearly 63 million views since then, with almost 800,000 subscribers, of which 150,000 have signed up in the last month.
Jelle has been into it since he was a child, and so the pair started posting a few videos online of marbles racing around more than a decade ago. When this began to gain a solid fan base (it took a while), they then set up the Marble League, formerly known as the MarbleLympics, in 2016. This led to the creation of other marble racing events, such as Marbula One, which is basically the Formula 1 for little glass balls, and Marble Rally, where marbles race on sand tracks.
It's fun and exciting and offers a different perspective into competition
We're currently in the midst of the 2020 season of Marbula One, which is what has captured new fans' imaginations and enjoyed a huge surge in popularity in recent months. You can watch the matches on YouTube or live stream on Twitch.
In the past, the channel has partnered with Federation Internationale de l'Automobile and even been featured on ESPN and NBC Sports. A few days ago, it got even bigger, as Formula E's Envision Virgin Racing team has teamed up with Jelle's Marble Runs to start the Marbula E series.
This will see marble teams, named after real Formula E teams, compete on scale versions of actual tracks, and videos will go online at the same time the car races were scheduled. Even Formula E's Jack Nicholls is commentating.
The first Marbula E qualifier race went online on Saturday and has already had more than 300,000 views.
What's the appeal of watching inanimate objects racing around?
Salem, who is usually an avid viewer of tennis and football, says: "It's fun and exciting and offers a different perspective into competition. The thought process behind the construction of the tracks is really creative, with a lot of physics involved, making the races more random, with a lot of takeovers. Also, the environment surrounding the track – the stands, the 'fans', the commentator – adds to the dynamic of the races."
It still has the central tenets of sports
Commentator Greg Woods told The Washington Post that the growth in interest around the races is "kind of tough to wrap your mind around", but that the current sports vacuum created the perfect storm to get people into it, "because you can't watch in person. You have to watch it online, at home".
“What really draws you in and keeps you there, even though it’s just marbles rolling with gravity: it still has the central tenets of sports,” Woods added. “Underdog stories. Come-from-behind victories. Upsets. The home team prevailing or not prevailing."
But once regular programming starts up again, will we lose interest in our marbles? Salem says he certainly won't. "I'm excited to see what's to come and look forward to watching plenty more races."
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
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- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
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The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
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NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
THREE
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
