Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India secured a bronze medal in the men’s quadrant event at the prestigious King’s Cup Sepak Takraw Championship in Thailand on Friday, August 7, continuing their recent rise in the sport ahead of the 2026 Asian Games.
India’s campaign ended in the semi-finals after they were beaten by hosts Thailand in a thrilling three-set contest. The Indian team lost 15-9, 9-15, 9-15, but the result was enough to secure them a place on the podium.
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A video of India’s medal-winning campaign and the team’s celebrations has since gone viral on social media, drawing attention to the country’s growing presence in a sport traditionally dominated by Southeast Asian nations.
WHAT IS SEPAK TAKRAW?
Sepak takraw is a fast-paced team sport that combines elements of volleyball, football and martial arts. Players use their feet, head, knees and other parts of their body, but cannot use their hands, to keep a ball in the air and send it over a net.
The sport is played on a court similar to a badminton court, with teams trying to ground the ball on their opponents’ side while defending their own half.
In the regu format, each team has three players. The quadrant event is another team format in which four players compete for a side.
Sepak takraw is particularly popular across Southeast Asia and has been a regular feature at the Asian Games, with Thailand, Malaysia and other regional powerhouses traditionally dominating the sport.
WHAT IS THE KING’S CUP?
The King’s Cup Sepak Takraw Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport, attracting several of the world’s top national teams every year.
The tournament is dedicated to His Majesty the King of Thailand and has been held annually since 1985. The inaugural edition was hosted in Bangkok, with Malaysia emerging as the first champions. Malaysia won the title again in 1988, but Thailand have dominated the competition in the years since.
In the team format, three regus make up a team. Each regu consists of three players, and a team wins a tie by securing victories in two of the three regu matches.
The King’s Cup is therefore a major test for India’s quadrant team, particularly with the Asian Games 2026 on the horizon.
India vs Thailand Sepak Takraw Highlights:
MOMENTUM AHEAD OF ASIAN GAMES
The bronze medal adds to India’s impressive run in sepak takraw over the past two years.
Earlier in May, India won the men’s quadrant gold medal at the Asia Sepaktakraw Championship 2026 in Nagoya, Japan. India defeated Japan 15-10, 12-15, 15-12 in the final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium.
India had topped Group B at the continental championship with victories over Malaysia and South Korea before beating Thailand in straight sets in the semi-final.
That victory continued a remarkable period of growth for Indian sepak takraw.
India won its first-ever men’s regu gold medal at the International Sepaktakraw Federation World Cup in Patna in March 2025, underlining the country’s emergence as a serious contender in the sport.
The Indian team will now look to carry that momentum into the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, where the men’s quadrant team will be among the country’s medal hopes.
The King’s Cup bronze provides another encouraging result for India as the team builds towards the continental showpiece.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
