Varpa

{{Short description|Swedish outdoor sport}}

{{About|the outdoor game|the genus of moths|Varpa (moth)}}

File:Varpa-811285 1920.jpg, Gotland.]]

File:Kalkstenar på stranden Gotland.jpgs from Gotland's beaches, tumbled and rounded by the sea are the original varpa stones used in the game]]

Varpa is an outdoor game of physical skill that allegedly dates back to the Viking Age and survived in Gotland. It is similar to boules and horseshoes but is played with a flat and heavy object called a "varpa" instead of balls. Varpas used to be well-shaped stones, but nowadays, aluminium is more popular. A varpa can weigh between {{convert|1/2|and|5|kg|lb|0|spell=on|abbr=off}}. The object of the game is to throw the varpa as close to a stick as possible. The stick is {{convert|15|m|yd|spell=on|abbr=off}} away for women and {{convert|20|m|yd|spell=on|abbr=off}} away for men. The game can be played individually or in teams.

No official nationally sponsored varpa teams exist; however, unofficial leagues are growing in popularity among youth in suburban areas of Sweden and Norway.{{cite web|last1=Molin|first1=Maria|title=Stångaspelen för den oinvigde|trans-title=Stånga Games for the uninitiated|date=12 June 2015|url=http://www.gotland.net/se-och-gora/arkiv/stangaspelen-for-den-oinvigde/11142011|website=www.gotland.net|publisher=Gotlands Media AB|access-date=24 June 2016}}

"Varpa" is an old word which simply means "to throw".

Varpa is one of the disciplines at the annual Stånga Games (Stångaspelen).