Unable to receive government funding, female athletes have to self-fund flights, hotels and equipment to take part in competitions.
After a series of rapid passes and powerful jumps, Irene Tan slams the ball into a trampoline-like ‘rebounder’ to score a point.
Singapore has only ever produced a few world champions, but the city is ranked number one in women’s tchoukball—a little-known sport similar to handball.
The indoor sport was invented in the 1970s by Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt. He wanted to develop a team game that can be played by people of different shapes and sizes, while also reducing the risk of injury. Named after the sound of the ball hitting the rebounder, tchoukball is played by two teams of seven players who are allowed to score at either end of the court.
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Physical contact between players is banned and they are not allowed to intercept the ball while it is being passed. “Tchoukball really revolves around being technical, about the game play as well as your technique”, Tan, the 32-year-old Singapore captain, told AFP.
To score a point, the ball must bounce off the 1m square rebounder and land outside a 3m semi-circular D-shaped “forbidden zone” without being caught by the other team. The game has gained popularity in Singapore over the past decade, with dozens of schools playing it.