Gateball

Ball Gate (Japaneseゲートボール, Gētobōru ) is the Croquet related team sport that is particularly common in East Asia and America and has already developed into a popular sport regionally. It is especially true as a sport for seniors, but is suitable for all ages.

History

Gate ball was invented in 1947 by Eiji Suzuki in the small town Memuro in the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. He had this game originally designed for children, but as it is easy to learn and physically is not particularly strenuous, it slowly developed into a cross-generational sport.

End of the 1970s, gate ball was spread throughout Japan, and Japanese emigrants began to introduce the new sport in other countries. 1984, the Japan Gate Ball union was formed a year later the Worldgate ball Union ( WGU ) was created with state associations from Japan, China, South Korea, the Republic of China, Brazil and the United States as founding members. In 1986 the first gate Ball World Cup was held in Hokkaido.

In the following years, other regional associations were established mainly in South America and East Asia. 2001, gate ball invitation sport in the VI. World Games in Akita. In 2003, the Australian Association of WGU joined. The first European gate ball club was founded in Wolfsburg in Germany 2005. 2006 the ninth gate ball World Cup held on the South Korean island of Jeju -do.

Today, gate ball is played worldwide by more than 8 million people, including 6 million in Japan alone. Especially seniors are enthusiastic about gate ball, as this sport also can be operated in old age, while physical fitness is demonstrably improved. As a precision sport gate ball requires maximum concentration capability; it's about feeling coordination, strategic thinking and temporal tact.

"It's a sport that can be played anywhere and by anyone. Suitable gate ball is designed for all ages, whether man or woman. "

Gate ball is well received not only by the elderly, but is also suitable for people with disabilities. For example, recorded the Chinese Taipei in Taipei Gate Ball Association in the Republic of China in 2004 more than 200,000 gate ball player with an age of more than 60 years, producing about 5000 players teams and about 8,000 referees. In addition, in 2004, in Taipei about 60 teams of disabled people who played a wheelchair gate ball. The global Erfolgszug of gate ball is now perceived by the croquet sports associations and partly critically.

Game rules

Gate ball can be played both outdoors and indoors. The rectangular playing field is 20-25 m long and 15-20 m wide. On the field there are three gates and a goal post, which must be played by plastic balls in the given order. Is hit the ball like croquet with a wooden hammer ( mallet ), the player's position resembles the beating of of putting in golf. Each traversed goal is worth one point, achieving the target two points. Touching the ball with the mallet is allowed only off the tee and is otherwise a foul.

The game is played in two between the competing teams, each with five members, each player plays his own that have a number ball These balls are colored red or white depending on team membership; the red balls ( or the " red team " ) bear the odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9; and the white balls ( or the " white team " ) bearing the even numbers 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 is alternately beaten, whereby it is possible, the opposing team to block the way to the gate. The winner is the team that achieved the highest score in the game for 30 minutes.