Teqball, a sport blending elements of football and ping pong, is poised for its debut at the Asian Games in Japan this weekend. The sport, which originated in Hungary just over a decade ago, features players hitting a standard soccer ball across a curved table using any body part except their hands.
Thailand's Jutatip Kuntatong, the current world champion, is preparing to compete. Kuntatong, who six years ago had never heard of teqball, is now the world's No. 1-ranked woman after securing singles and doubles titles at the most recent world championships in Transylvania.
The International Teqball Federation's secretary general, László Vajda, notes that Thailand is currently the strongest nation among 147 national federations. Many of the Thai team's acrobatic moves, including bicycle kicks, are influenced by Sepak takraw, a centuries-old south-east Asian sport often called “foot volleyball.”
Teqball has already been included in the European and African Games and aims to become an Olympic sport by 2032. The Asian Games will see teams from 16 nations compete in teqball, alongside debuts for padel and virtual taekwondo.