Tchoukball Association of the Philippines gets POC nod

The Tchoukball Association of the Philippines (TAP) is celebrating some very good news. TAP has been accepted as a member of the Philippine Olympic Committee. In a message to TAP officials, POC deputy secretary general Karen Tanchanco-Caballero relayed the good news. It has since been passed on to other International Tchoukball Federation (FITB) members. The good news spread quickly throughout federations in Asia and Europe, giving hope that they, too, could receive similar recognition.

In April, the TAP leadership composed of Jamelo (who is also president of Southeast Asian Tchoukball), his wife FITB general secretary Elvie, and other officials made a courtesy call on POC secretary-general Patrick Gregorio, POC membership committee head Robert Bachmann, and Tanchanco-Caballero. They were joined by FITB president Fang Feng-Szu, who was in the country to observe the eighth Philippine Tchoukball Championships being held at Ninoy Aquino Stadium. At the meeting, TAP expressed its intention to join the POC.

Tchoukball was invented in the 1970’s as a means of practicing for handball, but evolved into a whole new sport. It is a fast-paced, dynamic, no-contact team sport now played in an organized manner in over 40 countries on almost every continent. More significantly, it pushes the values of honesty, teamwork, sportsmanship and camaraderie, an ideal sport for the youth. It is played indoor, on the beach, and on wheelchairs.

For the past eight years, TAP has been toiling greatly to achieve good standing internationally. Despite the players being scattered all over Bacolod, Davao, Butuan, Cebu and Metro Manila, TAP has fielded teams to an average of two international events each year. The Philippines is in the top 10 in the world in beach tchoukball, and in Southeast Asia, is close second to world number two Singapore.

“What seemed impossible became a reality,” said Raymund Jamelo. “We are overjoyed. God works in mysterious ways.”

The next step is for TAP to ask for inclusion as a demonstration sport in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines. The FITB has promised full support, and other countries like Singapore are excited for the opportunity. This early, TAP has already found a venue and is working out other logistical matters. They guarantee that the SEA Games Organizing Committee will not spend for the conduct of the tournament. In 2019, the World  Tchoukball Championships will be held in either Germany or Brazil.

“It will be a great source of pride for the Philippines if we can pioneer tchoukball in the SEA Games,” adds Elvie Jamelo. “The sport has been growing very fast all over the world, and the Philippines is a respected contributor to that growth.”

Down the line, TAP hopes to finally build a national training center (most likely in Bacolod) and partner with government agencies like DepEd to have tchoukball taught in schools. The sport only needs the floor space of a basketball court, and frames (goals) that are easy to procure or fabricate. The ball is a regulation handball. The rest is merely marking off the different zones on the floor. And knee pads to avoid woodburn and bruising.

The story of tchoukball is the story of perseverance. TAP has encountered its share of challenges, but is now getting the acknowledgment it deserves. The next few years will be very exciting for this young sport.

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Today, the Gemmalyn Crosby Sports Festival hosts The Philippine Sports Summit at the PICC Forum 3s . Speakers include PSC Chair Butch Ramirez, Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Usec. Tonisito Umali for Education.