Tchoukball’s challenges

The Philippine national men’s and women’s tchoukball teams are currently duking it out in the Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships in Taiwan, another uphill climb towards a potential slot in the world championships which are held every four years. The challenges have been many, but the Tchoukball Association of the Philippines (TAP), based in Bacolod City, continues to strive to develop the sport locally, though it is already a well-respected member of the international federation, FITB.

If you are unfamiliar with tchoukball, it was originally designed by a Swiss scientist as a means for practicing handball. It consists of two one-meter frames, trampoline-like devices, that propel the ball back after a player has bounced the ball off it. The ball has to land outside a semi-circle laid out 10 feet from the frame, scoring a point for the offensive team. Significantly, teams can score on either end of the court. The Philippines has been among the top teams in the world, both in traditional and beach tchoukball. Forming national teams has been difficult in the past, since the best players are scattered all over the country, in places like Cebu, Davao, Metro Manila and of course, Bacolod.

“Fortunately, for this competition, the teams have been solid,” explains TAP president John Jamelo. The men’s team is made up of players from Bacolod, while for the women’s team, 10 of the 11 players are from Cebu. Anyway, they’re all familiar with each other. That is a big help.”

Another challenge is the fact that Taiwan and Singapore have been the best tchoukball teams in the world for the last decade. Luckily, the Philippines has had some success against them in recent years. Three years ago, the country claimed a slot for the World Tchoukball Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. Unfortunately, financial challenges made it impossible to fly the delegation to Europe. Sponsorship is a constant challenge for TAP, partly because the sport is relatively unknown, partly because it is not based in the National Capital Region.

The good news is that the quadrennial World Tchoukball Championships will be held in Singapore from June 30 to July 4, 2027, a much shorter trip. But before then, TAP has many plans to spread the sport more throughout the archipelago. Among them are a campaign to have tchoukball included as a demonstration sport in the Southeast Asian Games which will also be held in September next year, in Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor in Malaysia.

“We are very close to being included in the SEA Games,” Jamelo reveals. “The Asian federation head is from Malaysia, so they’re doing their best to encourage other ASEAN countries to participate. We’re almost there.”

In terms of beach tchoukball, both the Philippine men’s and women’s teams have been in the top 10 (fifth and eighth, respectively). Since then, more African and European countries have joined the fray. Unfortunately, the World Beach Tchoukball tournament has only been held once since the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a regular schedule has been set, the country is set to form teams for the popular variant of the sport.

On the local front, TAP is taking a two-pronged attack. With club teams and affiliates, they are campaigning to be included in the Palarong Pambansa in Quezon City next year, and others like the Batang Pinoy and regional meets down the road. Beyond that, Jamelo says they are bidding for the next Southeast Asian Tchoukball Championships.

“That is really the goal,” says the former national team captain. “We look forward to showing that we can host international events. It will be a great opportunity for our players to see world-class tchoukball and for other countries to experience Filipino hospitality. We’re very excited for the future.”

TAP has worked selflessly and so hard to spread the sport slowly and surely. With a little more support, the Philippines can firmly establish itself as a global powerhouse in the sport.