It’s called the gostra and it’s for a festival commemorating a patron saint in Malta.
There's a festival in Malta where men run up a greased-up pole to snatch flags.
DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI / Reuters
The pole is called a "gostra."
DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI / Reuters
It's part of a religious feast for St Julian, who is the patron of the town for St Julian's, outside Valletta, the capital of Malta.
DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI / Reuters
The sport dates back to the Middle Ages.
DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI / Reuters