Barely ten years after the creation of the sport, six years after the establishment of the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), and after breaking so many records, Teqball can reach yet new heights in 2023, which will be a historic year for the association.

This season has begun on the last weekend of January in Skopje and Los Angeles. A total of 241 teqers from 40 countries came to the two events. The numbers truly reflect the efforts of the past years, however the popularity of the sport is rising, which is further strengthened by the arrival of more and more sponsors.

Just a few years ago, this was all just a dream. Gábor Borsányi, president of FITEQ and co-creator of Teqball, spoke about this in the interview at the start of the year.

The International Teqball Federation was founded in 2017, did you think that FITEQ would reach such heights in such a short time?

“We started our work with great enthusiasm, but we never thought that we would achieve such success in six years and that we would already be over five world championships, while millions of people follow us around the world. We currently work with TV channels such as Eurosport and ESPN. I can also proudly say that we managed to get back on our feet after the pandemic in record time and we are prepared for the busiest year for our beloved sport in 2023, as we will have competitions on every inhabited continent except Australia.”

The historical marker is not an exaggeration at all, as nearly thirty events have been planned in this season, among which the United States of America leads the list with more than ten competitions. In addition, as a medal sport, the European Games await the best athletes from the old continent, to where the teqers can advance through a series of four-stations qualifying competitions.

How have the goals changed from year to year?

“From the very beginning, we formulated our main dream to be a sport played worldwide and to be included in the Olympic program at some point. We are working hard to ensure that we will be there at the OGs in Los Angeles in 2028. In recent years, we have organized many competitions in the United States of America and this year will be no different, only in the city of angels we can see the best teqers at least 10 times. Also, one of my greatest joys is that more and more people are playing Teqball in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and we hope that the number of tournaments will also increase.”

In addition to the European Games to be held in Krakow, the Teqball World Championship will be also organized this year, but multisport events such as the SEA Games in Cambodia or the African Games in Tunisia also fell in love with Teqball.

What kind of feedback do you get about Teqball?

“Although I do not have exact data on when major sponsors appeared in most sports, our belief in hard work is extremely confirmed by the fact that more and more international brands are thinking of Teqball as one of the most important pillars of their brand communication. The fact that we are continuing our work with ESPN after last year's introduction, as well as that we are working with Eurosport for the third year now with the audience's ever-growing attention is just icing on the cake.”

The American Teqball competitions can be followed live for the second year in a row on ESPN’s channels, while many other events are broadcast on Eurosport. Of course, the Teqball Magazine running on the latter channel, which reaches millions, also includes those tournaments where the international TV channels do not broadcast from, and it is also worth following the FITEQ YouTube channel, since there is an online stream at almost all competitions.

How is the sport different today compared to Teqball in 2017?

“The hitherto dominant nations, such as Hungary, America, Romania, Brazil, Serbia and Poland, have continued to grow stronger and have an increasingly large background country. To my great joy, more and more athletes of different nationalities are embracing the Teqball way of life, which is one of the most important goals for both me and my co-founders, György Gattyán and Viktor Huszár. Let's not forget that Teqball is not just a sport and not just a movement, Teqball is a way of life. And the athletes are getting smarter and faster, and with the appearance of players from Spain, Thailand, Israel, France, Tunisia - but I could list them for a long time - we come across some new game element every time, which only makes Teqball even more exciting.”

Teqball has captured many athletes, especially footballers, such as Neymar, Messi, Robert Pires, Carles Puyol or one of the ambassadors of the sport, the Brazilian Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho. And the trend is not slowing down, as national Teqball federations are starting up in more and more countries and the number of certified players is constantly increasing as people are getting to know one of the fastest growing and developing sports in the world.

Where do you see Teqball in the next five years?

“I really hope that in the Olympics. Naturally, we will go on if we do not make it yet, since in 2028 it will still only be the 14th year since the invention of Teqball. If that happens we will work with twice as much effort. The designated direction is given, and we have to go on the path ourselves.”