Soccer-Inspired Teqball Is on the Rise and Making a Play for the Olympics

Carolyn Greco and Margaret Osmundson, two professional athletes, placed third in the world at a recent competition in Anaheim, California, that was streamed on the internet. Teqball is a sport that has never been heard of in the US. Two former professional soccer players and a group of entrepreneurs are trying to change that.

The fusion of soccer, pingpong and tennis has been around for a long time. It is played on a curved table that is long and wide, with the highest point being 2.5 feet high. Doubles competition are more popular than singles, and the game is played in three set bouts. The players are using a soccer ball. As in soccer, they can hit it with any part of the body but their hands, resulting in movements that look a lot like martial arts. It takes years of hard work for teqball to be included in the Olympics, and officials are trying to get it.