Rui Marques Leitao, Executive Board Member representing athletes was awarded “Noble Citizen” as he, his family and the Portugal Teqball Federation together took in teqers from Ukraine.

After spending years in football as a player and as a manager, the Portugal Rui Marques Leitao discovered his passion for Teqball. The athletes of Teqball choose him to represent them in the Executive Board and he does not fail them in any second.

During the European Teqball Tour in Lisbon in February last year, he started to work on having Ukrainian teqers in his own country while their state is at war and the future is uncertain. 

“At that time, I was the only one who was thinking about a solution for our Teqball family member from Ukraine. Later, another Executive Board Member Jawad El Hajri, who represents the national federations and is the president of the French Teqball Federation was eager to join to mobilise the necessary help.” –says Mr Leitao.

The goal seemed easy: create the possibility to continue their professional and sporting careers while the main condition, their safety is provided.

“After more than twelve months, every athlete who was part of the mission is still healthy and playing Teqball. Oleg Usychenko is in Poland, Ivan Grom found his home in Austria, while I took in Dima Shevchuk, Nastia Terekh and Iryna Dubytska. All of them are living with me and my family, training and playing Teqball in my club, as well as playing Futsal and Beach Soccer at a semi-professional level.” – explained the Executive Board Member.

Leitao added “My family got bigger with three more children and it all started because of Teqball, however, it is now more than anything. We do not know what the future holds but as long as they know they can count on me, that is what all matters.”

Rui Marques Leitao was awarded the "Noble Citizen" award by the "Noble House of Citizenship", in the name of the values of Altruism, Detachment and Character for the authorship of the Noble Act.

“This award is not only mine, it belongs to all of us because we are a family!”