Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India’s campaign at the 20th Asian Games will begin on Thursday, with Mohamed Anas Imran Beg, Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Quimcy Dsouza set to lead the country’s challenge in teqball. The sport is one of five disciplines making its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya. India’s three-member squad will compete in three events: men’s doubles, women’s singles and mixed doubles.
Anas and Declan will form India’s men’s doubles team in a 24-pair field. Drawn in Group B, they will begin against Vietnam’s Truong Giang BA and Anh Khoa before taking on South Korea’s Junsuk Lee and Taebeen Lee.
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ASIAN GAMES 2026: FULL COVERAGE
The Mumbai duo will head into the tournament with a medal already under their belt, having secured bronze at the 2024 World Teqball Championships. They will look to carry that momentum into the Asian Games and progress deep into the competition.
Anas will then partner Quimcy in mixed doubles, while Quimcy will also compete individually in the women’s singles. The seven-time national champion has been drawn in Group A and is scheduled to face Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto before meeting Cambodia’s Koemyean Dy on September 18.
Technical director Nihar Shah is overseeing the Indian contingent in Nagoya. All three athletes are Mumbai-based and continue to balance their sporting commitments with full-time jobs.
WHAT IS TEQBALL?
Teqball may be a relatively new sport, but it has already carved out a unique identity by combining elements of football and table tennis. The game was officially introduced to the wider world in 2016, with Brazilian football great Ronaldinho among the prominent figures associated with its launch.
The idea originated in Hungary, where three football enthusiasts set out to create a way of playing football on a table. Their concept eventually evolved into teqball, with the first table produced in 2014 and the sport’s international governing body, FITEQ, established three years later.
Now, teqball is preparing for its biggest stage yet, with the sport featuring at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
HOW IS TEQBALL PLAYED?
The game is played on a specially constructed table with a distinctive curved surface, broadly similar in appearance to a table-tennis table. However, instead of a lightweight table-tennis ball, players use a football.
The objective is to send the ball over the net and onto the opponent’s side using parts of the body such as the feet, thighs, knees, chest and head. Hands and arms are strictly off limits.
The curved table is one of the defining features of teqball. Its design influences the way the ball bounces and travels, meaning players must constantly anticipate the rebound while maintaining balance, control and accuracy.
Teqball can be played in singles, with one player on each side, or doubles, where two-player teams compete against each other.
TEQBALL SCORING SYSTEM
A match consists of a maximum of three sets, with the player or team that reaches 12 points first taking a set. However, an 11-11 score triggers the need for a two-point advantage to claim the set.
Every rally starts with a serve, and service responsibility changes after every four points. Players then attempt to return the ball to the opposite side without using their hands or arms.
There are also restrictions on how many times the ball can be played before it crosses back over the net. In singles, a player can make up to three touches. In doubles, both teammates together are allowed a maximum of three touches.
One important rule is that players cannot use the same body part for two consecutive touches.
A rally ends in a point when a player fails to make a legal return, lets the ball bounce more than once on their side, sends it outside the playing area or commits another fault. The curved table makes those exchanges particularly demanding, as players must account for both the ball’s trajectory and its rebound.
Doubles adds another tactical element. Teammates must alternate their touches, forcing them to communicate effectively and maintain the right positioning throughout a rally.
A MIX OF FOOTBALL AND PRECISION
Teqball can involve a sequence of carefully controlled touches before a player attempts to end the rally with an attacking shot. While there is an obvious football influence, the compact playing area and fast rebounds make timing, reflexes and precision crucial.
The sport features five disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. All five events are scheduled to be contested at the 2026 Asian Games.
INDIA’S TEQBALL SQUAD AT ASIAN GAMES
Mohamed Anas Imran Beg (men’s doubles, mixed doubles); Declan Marshall Gonsalves (men’s doubles); Quimcy Dsouza (women’s singles, mixed doubles).
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
