Gate ball

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Gateball player in action

Gateball ( Japanese ゲ ー ト ボ ー ル , Gētobōru ) is a team sport related to the croquet , which is particularly widespread in East Asia and America and has already developed into a popular sport in the region. It is particularly considered a sport for seniors, but is suitable for all ages.

history

Gateball was invented by Eiji Suzuki in 1947 in the small town of Memuro in the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaidō . He originally designed this game for children, but since it is easy to learn and not particularly physically demanding, it has slowly developed into a cross-generational sport.

In the late 1970s, gate ball was common across Japan, and Japanese expats began to introduce the new sport to other countries. The Japan Gateball Union was founded in 1984, and the World Gateball Union (WGU) was founded one year later with national associations from Japan, China , South Korea , the Republic of China (Taiwan) , Brazil and the United States as founding members. In 1986 the first gate ball world championship took place in Hokkaidō.

In the following years, further national associations were founded, especially in South America and East Asia. In 2001 gateball was the invitation sport of the VI. World Games in Akita . In 2003 the Australian Association joined the WGU. The first European gate ball club was founded in 2005 in Wolfsburg , Germany . In 2006 the 9th gate ball world championship took place on the South Korean island of Jeju-do .

Today gateball is played by more than 8 million people worldwide, 6 million of them in Japan alone. Seniors in particular are enthusiastic about gateball, as this sport can still be practiced in old age and physical fitness is demonstrably improved. As a precision sport, gateball requires the highest level of concentration ; it is about a sense of coordination , strategic thinking and timing.

“It's a sport that can be played anywhere and by anyone. Gateball is suitable for all age groups, whether men or women. "

- Takanori Sekiguchi : ( General Manager of the World Gateball Union )

Gateball is not only well received by seniors, but is also suitable for people with disabilities . For example, the Chinese Taipei Gateball Association in Taipei in the Republic of China (Taiwan) recorded over 200,000 gate ball players over the age of 60 in 2004, who provided around 5,000 player teams and around 8,000  referees . In addition, in 2004 Taipei had around 60 teams of disabled people who played gate ball as wheelchair users . The worldwide success of Gateball is now also noticed by the croquet sports associations and sometimes critically questioned.

Rules of the game

Gate ball playing field with numbered balls and one of the three goals.

Gateball can be played both outdoors and indoors. The rectangular playing field is 20-25 m long and 15-20 m wide. There are three goals and a goal post on the field, which plastic balls must play in the given order. The ball is hit with a mallet, as in croquet, the position of the player when hitting is similar to that of putting in golf . Each goal passed is worth one point, and reaching the goal two points. Touching the ball with the mallet is only allowed when teeing off and is otherwise considered a foul .

The game is played in two teams competing against each other, each with five members, each player playing his own ball with a number. The balls are colored red or white depending on the team they belong to; the red balls (or the “red team”) have the odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9; and the white balls (or the “white team”) have the even numbers 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. It is hit alternately, which makes it possible to block the way to the goal for the opposing team. The winner is the team with the highest number of points in the 30-minute game.

literature

  • John W. Traphagan: Reasons for gateball participation among older Japanese . In: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology , 1998, 13 (2), ISSN  0169-3816 , pp. 159-175.
  • John W. Traphagan: Taming Oblivion: Aging Bodies and the Fear of Senility in Japan . Suny series in Japan in transition. State University of New York Press, New York 2000, ISBN 0-7914-4499-6 (Much of the book deals with the role of gateball in overcoming dementia and physical decline in the Japanese aging society).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung : Gateball conquers the world of senior citizens from October 24, 2007.
  2. ↑ Miyaguchi Kazuyoshi, Demura Shinichi and Miyaguchi Hisayoshi: The Character of Physical Fitness in Aged Gateball Players . In: Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine 39, 1990, ISSN  0039-906X , pp. 262-269. (English).
  3. ^ "Gateball popular in Chinese Taipei" , report by Amardeep Bhattal, The Tribune , Chandigarh , India, June 30, 2004 (English).
  4. ↑ "Gateball: Croquet's Missing Link?" Report by James Hawkins in The Croquet Gazette , ed. by The Croquet Association , United Kingdom , January 2002 edition.