On August 19, the Beijing Teqball Challenge 2023, co-organized by Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), was held at Beiguan Square, Juyongguan Great Wall Scenic Area, Changping District, Beijing. Deputy Director Gao Yunchao of Beijing Olympic City Development Center, and deputy district chief Bai Lin of Changping attended the event and the award ceremony.

Beijing Teqball Challenge is the most authoritative and top teqball event in China, jointly initiated by BODA and FITEQ. The event is part of the international teqball tournament system, aiming to provide a “fashionable, open and inclusive” competition platform for domestic teqball players and fans. This year’s event attracted 24 teams from Serbia, Beijing, Tianjin, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Jiujiang and Chengdu. After fierce competition, Zhang Junming won the men’s singles title; Sun Zhixu and Shi Huhong won the mixed doubles title, and Zhang Junming and Sun Zhixu won the men’s doubles title.

(Gao Yunchao posing for a photo with the winners of Men’s Doubles)

(Bai Lin posing for a photo with the winners of Mixed Doubles)

(Li Yan, Chair of the National People’s Congress of Nankou Town, Changping District, posing for a photo with the winners of Men’s Singles)

Ognjen Škrbi, a teqball player from Serbia, said that he was very happy to come to Beijing to take part in the Dirk Challenge and to know many friends who are engaged in teqball sports. He was excited to compete here and he hoped that the event would make a greater success in the future.

(Ognjen Škrbi in the game)

On behalf of the organizers, Gao Yunchao hoped that by combining teqball, an emerging sport in the world, with traditional Chinese culture and by delivering high-level games, this year’s event would attract more public attention to and engagement in the sport, enrich their sports and cultural life, create a strong atmosphere of fitness for all, and contribute to building Beijing into an international sports exchange center. On August 20, the same venue will also host a teqball carnival, with engaging games designed to raise public awareness of the sport.

It is learnt that teqball was originated in Hungary in 2014 and has since then been gaining popularity around the world. In order to promote the sport in China, BODA and FITEQ jointly launched the Beijing Teqball Challenge, which has been held at Juyongguan Great Wall for two consecutive years. This year’s challenge is an important part of the 14^th Beijing Olympic City Sports & Culture Festival, which initiated and hosted by BODA in 2010, is an important Olympic legacy brand project recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The Festival has been held for 13 consecutive years and has attracted more than 15 million participants. It has played an active role in spreading the Olympic spirit, building a “healthy China” and helping to build Beijing into an international exchanges center, and has become an influential urban sports and culture brand for promoting fitness for all. This year’s Beijing Olympic City Sports & Culture Festival opened on August 16, and will continue until the yearend.

(Scenes of the games)