YORKTON - Teqball is a relatively new sport, but Akos Prekop sees a bright future here in Canada.
Prekop first became aware of the new sport because of his own background.
“First of all I was born in Hungary where Teqball is coming from, so I was aware of it,” the president of the National Teqball Federation of Canada told Yorkton This Week.
Prekop, who has lived in Canada for the past 20 years, said he became aware there was a Teqball federation started in Canada several years ago, but was more or less inactive.
So during COVID he made some enquiries to the international body.
“They were really looking for someone who might take it over,” said Prekop, adding he decided to take the lead role.
What Prekop has found is that building a foundation for a new sport is not always easy.
“It’s a big challenge – a huge challenge,” he said. “. . . Canada is huge and I can’t be everywhere.”
At this point Teqball is rather regional in nature. Since it tends to draw on players with a soccer background and Ontario has the largest numbers of soccer players, Teqball has taken root there, offered Prekop.
And numbers in Quebec are growing, and the sport has been introduced in B.C. too.
Prekop wants to see other provinces involved, but noted a barrier is that Teqball requires a sport specific table so someone needs to invest in a table in each community that is interested in the sport.
But it is worth the cost and effort to start the sport, assured Prekop.
“As soon as you start it you will fall in love with it. It’s really, really fun,” he said. “It’s not easy, but its challenging and it’s fun.”
The effort in Canada is part of a bigger vision for Teqball internationally.
Prekop said it is a goal to have the sport “recognized in each and every country possible in the world.” With broad interest worldwide it would feed into the second goal of having Teqball recognized by the International Olympic Committee, he added.
In Canada that process needs to include getting Teqball ‘officially’ recognized.
“It Canada it’s not recognized as being a sport,” said Prekop, adding they want that recognition through the national Ministry of Sport.
To build toward national recognition Prekop said the Canadian Federation will be hosting a series of Teqball tournaments leading up to naming national champions in July who will then represent Canada at the next world championships of the sport.
Canada actually sent four players to the 2023 event in Bangkok, Sarah Rees, Karin Brech, Robert Kertesz Jr., and Milan Zsibok, were appointed. This year there will be tournament play to determine the team.
The first event on March 16 in Toronto, with also scheduled for Montreal and Ottawa, explained Prekop.
