Teqball is a ball sport that is played on a curved table, combining elements of sepak takraw and table tennis. Back and forth, the players hit a football with any part of the body except arms and hands. Teqball can be played between two players as a singles game, or between four players as a doubles game. The game is represented at an international level by the International Federation of Teqball (FITEQ). A number of world-class footballers have been attracted by the game, and after being added to the programmes for the 2021 Asian Beach Games and the 2023 European Games, the sport is now aiming for Olympic inclusion.
Teqball became the world's fastest-recognised sport in August 2018 when its highest governing body FITEQ was officially recognised by the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA). In June 2019 it was officially recognised by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).
In November 2020, FITEQ was granted full membership of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
History
Teqball was invented in 2012 in Hungary by three football enthusiasts: former professional player Gábor Borsányi, Hungarian businessman György Gattyán, and computer scientist Viktor Huszar. The creative idea came from Gábor Borsányi, who used to play football on a table tennis table. The horizontal design of the table made the ball often not bounce to the players, so this game was not enjoyable. Borsányi thought that if the table were bent, the arched surface could help the ball bounce to the foot. After several years of development with Viktor Huszár, the first teqball table was made in 2014.
The sport was officially presented in Budapest, Hungary on 18 October, 2016, by Brazilian ex-football player Ronaldinho, one of the ambassadors of teqball.
Rules
The rules are laid out in the FITEQ's set of rules.
Summary
Teqball can be played with balls used in football, with size five being official and recommended. Teqball can be played by two players (singles game) or by four players (doubles game). A teqball match consists of best-of-three sets. Each set is played until a player/team reaches 12 points. Every player/team has two attempts to complete a successful service. The players/teams change service after each four points. It is forbidden to touch the ball with the same body part twice consecutively It is forbidden to return the ball with the same body part twice consecutively. Every player/team is allowed to return the ball with a maximum of 3 touches by any body part, except for the hands and arms. In doubles, a team has a maximum of 3 touches, however, the teammates must pass the ball at least once to each other. While playing, neither the table nor the opponent can be touched. In case of an edgeball, the rally shall be repeated.
Playing court
The official competition size of a teqball court is a minimum of wide by a minimum of long by a minimum of high. The court must be rectangular and marked with surrounds with a minimum height of and a maximum height of . The Teq table is in the exact middle of the court with the net being parallel to the shorter sides’ perimeters.
Teq table
The curved table measures in length and is wide with the highest point at in the middle of the playing surface where the net with the height of is installed separating the surface into two parts. The two outer edges of the width are above the ground.
Ball
The ball is spherical and must be made of leather or another suitable material and has a latex bladder with a butyl valve. The ball is a regular sized 5 football, which has a lower pressure (between 0.3 and 0.5 atmospheres) than a normal football.
Intellectual property
Unlike equipment in traditional sports, the design of the teqball table is patented, so only Teqball International or others with a license from Teqball Holding SARL may legally manufacture tables. The name "teqball" itself is trademarked, giving the trademark holder control over who may advertise teqball events or otherwise use the name in public. The teqball inventors view these legal restrictions as essential to their efforts to grow the sport.
Competitions
Teqball World Championships
The Teqball World Championships is an annual competition organised by FITEQ.
The Teqball World Championships has both Singles and Doubles competitions with men and women participating together. The first Teqball World Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary in 2017 with more than 20 participating nations. The 2018 version of the event was held from 12 to 13 October in Reims, France with a total of 90 players participating.