Giving the game a leg-up

Gyorgydeak enjoys the recognition brought by the emerging sport and the travel experiences of attending different international tournaments.

The Teqball World Championships, an annual competition organized by FITEQ, is currently the most important event for the world's teqball players.

Its inaugural edition took place in 2017 in Budapest, Hungary, where Adam Blazsovics, a local, became the first-ever teqball singles world champion.

The seasoned teqer also competed in Beijing. It's not his first time visiting China, as he participated in the Teqball Tour event held in Qingdao, Shandong province, in 2023 and the Xiamen Challenger Cup in Xiamen, Fujian province, in 2020.

Through the years, he notes, the pace of the matches at teqball events hosted in China has accelerated.

"Participants are becoming stronger, with more powerful smashes, and the organization of the game here is also improving," Blazsovics remarked.

Blazsovics, who studied to become a PE teacher at the University of Physical Education in Budapest, where he first tried playing teqball, shared his thoughts on the sport.

"I think it is a great opportunity for young people. Teqball is not a contact sport, so you don't have to worry about injuries caused by rough collisions.

"Perseverance is extremely important in this sport. In the beginning, you may often fail, but it is crucial not to give up," he said.

For Chinese teqer Cui Yazhen, teqball demands precise technical skills that require continuous practice. Now a PE teacher at Jimei University in Xiamen, she transitioned to teqball after retiring from professional soccer due to injuries.

"Teqball places high demands on players' flexibility and coordination, with relatively lower requirements for speed and endurance.

"It means that I can continue participating in this soccer-based sport, post-injury," Cui explained.