Balletic hits and bicycle kicks: Teqball comes of age at the Asian Games

Invented a little over a decade ago in Hungary, teqball is a combination of football and ping pong

In Bangkok’s Sports Science Centre, Jutatip Kuntatong is airborne, executing a gravity-defying bicycle kick that slams the ball on to the curved table with a force that echoes throughout the gym.

She is preparing to represent Thailand at the Asian Games, which start on Saturday, but six years ago she had never even heard of teqball, the sport of which she is now the world champion.