The International Teqball Federation (FITEQ) has been ranked seventh overall in the BCW International Federation 2020 Social Media Ranking, whilst the governing body is ranked second amongst non-Olympic sports, demonstrating the global growth of teqball in recent years. This is the first year in which non-Olympic IFs have been included in the ranking, with FITEQ’s continued growth on social media in recent years placing amongst leading Olympic sports in the 2020 ranking.

Teqball has 3.79 million fans across its digital platforms and is ranked in the top 10 for followers on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for Olympic and non-Olympic IFs. FITEQ experienced significant growth on its social media channels in 2020, with digital content key to the sustained growth of teqball athletes and fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Instagram, FITEQ has over 650,000 followers and a growth rate of 37.9%, which makes it the eighth most followed IF on the platform. The engagement of FITEQ’s follower base is equally as impressive, with the sport ranked first for views per video (1.1 million) and second on interactions per post. On Facebook, FITEQ is the fifth most followed IF with over 3 million followers. As with Instagram, engagement of these followers is strong and FITEQ is ranked second for views per video (591,838) and fourth for interactions per post. On TikTok, which became an increasingly popular platform in 2020, FITEQ has the sixth most followers with over 83,000.

FITEQ Chairman Viktor Huszar said, “We are thrilled with FITEQ’s growth on social media and the way in which teqball has captured the imaginations of millions of fans around the world through our digital content. Our sport’s rise in recent years, particularly last year with the restrictions of COVID-19, has been a result of our engagement with fans on digital platforms. We are also delighted that the BCW ranking highlights that our social media activity is a combination of quality as well as quantity, which is something we place a strong emphasis on.

“The way in which fans consume sport is changing, with digital platforms becoming an increasingly important way of appealing to athletes and fans, especially younger generations. At FITEQ, we truly believe digital content can inspire people to be more active and we will continue to look for new and innovative ways to do this.”

FITEQ’s growth on social media is accompanied by significant recent progress in other key areas, including sport development, governance and anti-doping. FITEQ has over 90 National Federations and was welcomed as a full member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in November 2020. FITEQ was also approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as an official Signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code in September 2020.

The BCW 2020 Social Media Ranking has incorporated non-Olympic IFs for the first time, whilst also introducing an overall ranking which summarises IFs’ strength on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube, by looking at an aggregated number of followers and by quantifying their ‘True Reach’ using an algorithm-based formula measuring how many users the account actually reach with their posts. The full report can be found here.