A fight over the name of Josh drew a crowd from around the country to a US park for a heated pool-noodle brawl.

It all started a year ago when pandemic boredom set in and Josh Swain, a 22-year-old student from Tucson, Arizona, messaged others who shared his name on social media and challenged them to a duel.

Hundreds showed up at Air Park in Lincoln in Nebraska – a location chosen at random – to participate in the silliness.

The festivities started with a “gruelling and righteous battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors” between the Josh Swain from Arizona and another Josh Swain from Omaha.

KLKN-TV reports that the Arizona student won that competition, allowing him to claim the title of the true Josh Swain.

The pool-noodle competition that followed was open to anyone with the first name of Josh. The victor of that competition was a five-year-old, who was coronated with a Burger King crown.

Mr Swain, the organiser, said he is a little surprised about how the whole thing blew up, adding: “I did not expect people to be as adamant about this as they are right now.”