Denzhou: The Philippines made an impressive debut at the Teqball World Series in Denzhou, China on Friday. Janelle Jhane Ramos and Jade Andrei Ignacio bowed to Jun Ming Zhang and Fu Lei Gong of China, 10-12, 12-11, 5-12, in Round 1 of the mixed doubles category.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Filipinos fought back in Round 2, beating Chinese pair Yifan Cheng and Yimeng Yang, 11-12, 12-9, 12-8, before losing to Kinga Barabasi of Romania and Marek Pokwap of Poland, 1-12, 2-12, in Round 3. Barabasi and Pokwap are No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ) world rankings.
"Great job! It's a historic win and a good boost to the team. Congratulations Coach George (Balanay)," Philippine Teqball Federation (PITEQ) secretary general Peter Paul Soliman commented on the team's second-round victory, in an interview Saturday.
The 16-year-old Ignacio, an incoming Grade 12 student at the Ilocos Norte National High School, will also compete in the men's singles category. The experience gained by Ramos and Ignacio in the World Series is crucial as they prepare for the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Saudi Arabia, and the SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand later this year.
The two earned the trip to China after dominating the two-leg PITEQ qualifying tournament in Tarlac City, Cainta, and Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. Teqball is a fast-rising European spectator sport entertaining its fans with soccer and sepak takraw agility skills played on a similar but slightly curved ping-pong table.
Backed by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission, the national team joined the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games where teqball was introduced as a demonstration sport. Last year, the Philippines competed in the regional event in Koh Samui, Thailand; World Series in Vietnam; and World Championships in Bangkok.
PITEQ, headed by Victor Yap, was officially recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia in August 2018 and the Global Association of International Sports Federations in November 2020.
