View source for Tchoukball

{{short description|Indoor team sport}}
{{Infobox sport
| name       = Tchoukball
| image      = European Tchoukball Championships 2014.jpg
| alt        = 
| imagesize  = 250px
| caption    = A tchoukball match in progress.
| union      = [[International Tchoukball Federation]] (1971) <ref>https://fitb.org/</ref>
| nickname   = 
| first      = 1970
| firstlabel = 
| region     = Worldwide
| registered = 
| clubs      = 
| contact    = No
| team       = 7
| mgender    = Not in international championships, but very common in some national championships
| type       = [[Ball sport]], [[team sport]]
| equipment  = Tchoukball, rebounder
| venue      = 
| olympic    =  No 
| IWGA       =  Invitational sport at [[Tchoukball at the 2009 World Games|2009 World Games]]
}}

'''Tchoukball''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|uː|k|b|ɔː|l}} {{respell|CHOOK|ball}}) is an indoor team sport, played by teams of 7 players. It was developed in Switzerland in the 1970s, and is most popular in [[Singapore]], [[Switzerland]] and [[Taiwan]], but has become an international sport with national federations in over 60 countries. It is governed by the [[#International Tchoukball Federation (FITB)|International  Tchoukball Federation]] (FITB), which was founded in 1971. 

It is usually played with a ball on an indoor court with a small elastic rebounder on each end.  Teams score by bouncing the ball against the rebounder and getting it to bounce on the floor of the court without being intercepted by the defending team. The sport was designed to limit injuries, and physical contact between players is prohibited. 

==History==
Tchoukball was created in [[Switzerland]] by Hermann Brandt,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tchoukball comes home to Geneva |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/tchoukball-comes-home-to-geneva/1605954 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |date=10 August 2000 |access-date=8 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref> who was concerned by the numerous serious injuries among athletes resulting from sports prone to aggression and physical contact. He believed that sports should be not only for champions, but also contribute to the creation of a better and more humane society.<ref>Brandt, H., ''Etude scientifique des sports d’équipe'', Ed. Roulet, [[Geneva]], 1971</ref> He designed tchoukball to contain elements of handball (it is played with hands, and the balls used are similar), volleyball (as the defending team must prevent the ball from falling) and squash (since there is a rebound).

==Etymology==
The name of tchoukball (pronounced as "choukball", with a silent "t") comes from the [[onomatopoeic]] "tchouk" sound the ball makes when it bounces off a frame.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yap |first1=Ricky |title=Tchouk! Tchouk! Tchouk! |url=https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2019/08/512649/tchouk-tchouk-tchouk |access-date=8 April 2023 |work=New Straits Times |publisher=New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd. |date=14 August 2019}}</ref>

==Basic rules==
[[File:Switzerland M18 - France (49294782773).jpg|right|thumb| Match in progress in [[Geneva]] Nations Cup: 5th place women semi-final Switzerland M18-France.|290x290px]]

Teams may comprise 12 players, however only 7 may be on the court at any one time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regulations |url=https://fitb.org/regulations/7-rules/8-tchoukball-rules |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=fitb.org}}</ref> 

Physical contact between players is prohibited, and defenders may not attempt to intercept the attacking team's passes. Players may take at most three steps with the ball, and hold the ball for at most three seconds. Teams may not pass the ball more than three times before shooting at the rebounder.

'''Court'''

* The court size that is generally used is 27&nbsp;m&nbsp;×&nbsp;16&nbsp;m. However, there are variations to this such as in beach tchoukball where a court size of 21&nbsp;m&nbsp;×&nbsp;12&nbsp;m is used.
* One rebounder is placed at each end of the field of play, one square meter in area.
* In front of each rebounder, a D-shaped semi-circle measuring 3&nbsp;m in radius is drawn; this defines the limits of a 'forbidden zone' where defenders cannot stand.
* The lines around zones are considered part of the zone: the line marking the semicircle forbidden zone is considered part of the forbidden zone, and the line around the entire court is considered a part of the court.

'''Ball'''

Depending on the category of players (Men, Women, Youth), different sizes of balls are used.  These range from a circumference of 54&nbsp;– 60&nbsp;cm and weights from 325 – 475&nbsp;grams.

'''Scoring'''
[[File:Frame front 30.jpg|right|thumb|Rebounder{{sp}}]]
Two [[team]]s of 7 players each (men or women) compete to score points with the team with the most points at the end winning the game. 
When a team gains a point, control of the ball is transferred to the other team.
* In tchoukball either team can score at either end of the court.
* A point is scored when the ball rebounds after hitting either of the 2 rebounders and touches the ground outside the forbidden zone, any part of the defending player's body below the knees, or touches the defending player while he is still in the forbidden zone.
* A point is given to the non-attacking team when the attacking team shoots and misses the rebounder, or the ball rebounds outside the playing area (either out of the court or in the forbidden zone).
* If a shot is caught by the defending team, the defending team can proceed to attack immediately.

==Positions==
[[File:Ferrara2024DefensaEs.jpg|thumb|left|Defence prepared for the Germany-Spain match for third and fourth place at the Ferrara 2024 European Championship.|290x290px]]
Each team comprises the following positions:
2 Right Shooters or Right Wings
2 Left Shooters or Left Wings
2 or 3 defenders or Forward Pivot
1 Centre (or none if 3 defenders are used) or Centre Pivot

Each side of the court comprises a left shooter, right shooter and 1 or 2 defenders, while the centre usually stays near the middle of the court if this formation is used. The shooters are generally in charge of shooting although in some cases the defender can also take the shot. The defenders are in charge of coordinating the first line of defence while the centre pivot takes charge of the second line of defence.
However other formations include not using a centre pivot, the team would bypass the centre and throw full length court passes directly to the shooters/inners. This gives an extra first line defender or a dedicated second line defender.

==Playing the game==
Players with the ball can take a maximum of 3 steps, and hold the ball for a maximum of 3 seconds. Bouncing the ball is not allowed.

When a pass is not completed (the ball touches the ground or goes out of bounds), the other team gets possession.

The defending team cannot obstruct the attacking one during passing.

For the scoring team, stepping into the forbidden zone with the ball is not allowed. The ball must be released before the player lands in the forbidden zone.

In addition to classic indoor tchoukball, there is also beach tchoukball and wheelchair tchoukball, with slightly different rules.  There are also Youth and University leagues, separate from the open league.

==International Tchoukball Federation (FITB)==
[[File:Chukbol.svg|thumb|Symbol of Tchoukball]]
The FITB, founded in 1971, is based in [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]]. As of 2021, it includes 50 member associations<ref>{{Cite web |title=FITB Members |url=http://fitb.org/fitb/members |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=fitb.org}}</ref> and 22 (15+7) countries with a designated FITB Representative.  It supports and advises national associations and individuals willing to spread tchoukball in new areas. For instance, tchoukball was recently integrated in the school program of some regions of [[Senegal]]. The FITB was a demonstration sport in the 2009 World Games, which took place in [[Kaohsiung]], [[Taiwan]].

At the world championship level, tchoukball has been dominated by Taiwanese teams since 1980. Their only losses since then were in 2004 when they were defeated by Switzerland in the men's final, and in 2023, when Italy defeated them in the women's semi-final.

===Membership===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
# {{ARG}}
# {{AUT}}
# {{BAN}}
# {{BEN}}
# {{BRA}}
# {{BUR}}
# {{CMR}}
# {{CAN}}
# {{TPE}}
# {{COL}}
# {{CIV}}
# {{CZE}}
# {{COD}}
# {{FRA}}
# {{GER}}
# {{GHA}}
# {{GUI}}
# {{HAI}}
# {{HKG}}
# {{HUN}}
# {{IND}}
# {{INA}}
# {{ITA}}
# {{JPN}}
# {{KEN}}
# {{MAC}}
# {{MAS}}
# {{MRI}}
# {{MEX}}
# {{MAR}}
# {{NEP}}
# {{PAK}}
# {{PHI}}
# {{POL}}
# {{RWA}}
# {{SEN}}
# {{SGP}}
# {{KOR}}
# {{ESP}}
# {{SRI}}
# {{SUI}}
# {{TAN}}
# {{THA}}
# {{TOG}}
# {{UGA}}
# {{UAE}}
# {{GBR}}
# {{USA}}
# {{URU}}
# {{VIE}}
{{div col end}}
===Events===
* World Federation - https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medzin%C3%A1rodn%C3%A1_tchoukballov%C3%A1_feder%C3%A1cia

# World Championship - https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majstrovstv%C3%A1_sveta_v_tchoukballe
# European Championship - https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majstrovstv%C3%A1_Eur%C3%B3py_v_tchoukballe
# Asian - Pacific Championship - https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majstrovstv%C3%A1_%C3%81zie_a_Pacifiku_v_tchoukballe
# African Championship - https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majstrovstv%C3%A1_Afriky_v_tchoukballe
# Pan American Championship - https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamerick%C3%A9_majstrovstv%C3%A1_v_tchoukballe
# [[FITB World Youth Tchoukball Championships]] in 6 Categories: B18,B15,B12 and G18,G15,G12.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fitb.org/news/world-youth-championships-finishes-in-singapore | title=World Youth Championships Finishes in Singapore }}</ref> 6th FITB World Youth Tchoukball Championships 2023

==World events==
===[[World Tchoukball Championships]]===
{{main|World Tchoukball Championships}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|1971
|{{SWI}}
|{{FRA}}
||-
|-
|1976
|
|
|
|-
|1980
|{{SUI}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|1982
|{{FRA}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|1984
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|1987
|{{SWI}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2000
|[[Geneva]], {{SWI}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2004
|{{TWN}}
|{{SWI}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2011
|{{ITA}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2015
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2019
|{{MAS}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2023
|{{CZE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SUI}}
|}

===World Beach Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2005
|{{SWI}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2017
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|}

===Tchoukball at the World Games===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|1989
|{{GER}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|[[Tchoukball at the World Games 2009|2009]]
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|}

===World Youth Tchoukball Championships===
6th  FITB [[World Youth Tchoukball Championships]] 2023


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=10%|Year
!width=10%|Host
!width=10%|M-18 Boys winner
!width=10%|M-15 Boys winner
!width=10%|M-12 Boys winner
!width=10%|M-18 Girls winner
!width=10%|M-15 Girls winner
!width=10%|M-12 Girls winner

|-
|2004
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
||-
||-
|{{TPE}} 
||-
||-
|-
|2011
|{{AUT}}
|{{ITA}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}} 
|{{ITA}}
||-
|-
|2013
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}} 
|-
|2015
|{{SIN}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}} 
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}} 
|-
|2019
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}} 
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2023
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|}

===World University Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=10%|Year
!width=10%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2017 
|{{MAS}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|}

===World Youth Beach Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=10%|Year
!width=10%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2017
|{{INA}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2023
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|}

==Regional events==
===Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships===


{{main|Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships}}


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2003
|{{IND}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2006
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2008
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2010
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2012
|{{PHI}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2014
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2016
|{{CHN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2022
|{{MAS}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}}
|}

===Asia Pacific University Tchoukball Championships===
<!--{{main|Asia Pacific University Tchoukball Championships}}-->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2009
|{{HKG}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2011
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2013
|{{KOR}}
|{{PHI}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2015
|{{MAS}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|-
|2019
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|}

===Asia Pacific Beach Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2013
|{{THA}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}}
|-
|}

===[[Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championships]]===

Asia Pacific Tchoukball Federation - APYTC

In 2014, The 3rd Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championship In Singapore. In 2016, The 4th Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championship In Taoyuan, Taiwan. 

7th Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championships 2024, from 19th July to 21st July 2024, in Johor Bahru Malaysia.


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=10%|Year
!width=10%|Host
!width=10%|M-18 Boys Winner
!width=10%|M-15 Boys Winner
!width=10%|M-12 Boys Winner
!width=10%|M-18 Girls Winner
!width=10%|M-15 Girls Winner
!width=10%|M-12 Girls Winner
|-
|2010
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
||-
|{{HKG}} 
|{{TPE}} 
||-
|{{TPE}} 
|-
|2013
|{{MAS}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{SIN}} 
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}} 
|-
|2014
|{{SIN}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}}
|{{TPE}} 
|-
|2016 
|{{TWN}}
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}} 
|{{TPE}} 
|-
|}

===Southeast Asia Tchoukball Championships===
<!--{{main|Southeast Asia Tchoukball Championships}}-->

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host Nation
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2009
|{{THA}}
|{{SIN}}
||-
|-
|2011
|{{VIE}}
|{{PHI}}
|{{SIN}}
|-
|2013
|{{THA}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{SIN}}
|-
|2015
|{{MAS}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{SIN}}
|-
|2017
|{{THA}}
|{{SIN}}
|{{SIN}}
|-
|}

===South Asian Tchoukball Championships===

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2012
|{{NEP}}
|{{IND}}
||-
|-|-
|2014
|{{NEP}}
|{{IND}}
||-
|-
|2016
|{{IND}}
|{{IND}}
||-
|-
|}

===East Asian Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2016
|{{CHN}}
|{{TPE}}
||-
|-
|2017
|{{KOR}}
|
|
|-
|}

===European Tchoukball Championships===
<!--{{main|European Tchoukball Championships}}-->

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2003
|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Italy]]
|{{SUI}}
|{{SUI}}
|-
|2006
|{{flagicon|SUI}} [[Switzerland]]
|{{GBR}}
|{{SUI}}
|-
|2008
|{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Czech Republic]]
|{{SUI}}
|{{SUI}}
|-
|2010
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[United Kingdom]]
|{{SUI}}
|{{SUI}}
|-
|2014
|{{GER}}
|{{AUT}}
|{{SWI}}
|-
|2016
|{{CZE}}
|{{AUT}}
|{{SWI}}
|-
|2018
|{{ITA}}
|{{ITA}}
|{{ITA}}
|-
|2022
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[United Kingdom]]
|{{ITA}}
|{{SWI}}
|-
|2024
|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Italy]]
|{{ITA}}
|{{ITA}}
|}

===European Youth Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=10%|Year
!width=10%|Host
!width=10%|M-18 Boys Winner
!width=10%|M-15 Boys Winner
!width=10%|M-12 Boys Winner
!width=10%|M-18 Girls Winner
!width=10%|M-15 Girls Winner
!width=10%|M-12 Girls Winner
|-
|2016 
|{{CZE}}
|{{ITA}}
|{{ITA}}
|{{CZE}}
||-
|{{AUT}}
||-
|-
|2022
Championships
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[United Kingdom]]
|{{SWI}}
|}

===African Tchoukball Championships===
<!--{{main|African Tchoukball Championships}}-->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2010
|{{GHA}}
|{{TOG}}
|{{SEN}}
|-
|2012
|{{TOG}}
|{{TOG}}
|
|-
|2014
|{{BEN}}
|{{TOG}}
|
|-
|2016
|{{KEN}}
|{{CMR}}
|
|-
|}

===East African Tchoukball Championships===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2014
|{{UGA}}
|{{UGA}}
|
|-
|}

===Pan American Tchoukball Championships===
<!--{{main|Pan American Tchoukball Championships}}-->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; width: 100%; text-align: left;"
|-
!width=5%|Year
!width=15%|Host
!width=15%|Men's winners
!width=15%|Women's winners
|-
|2010
|{{BRA}}
|{{BRA}}
|{{BRA}}
|-
|2012
|{{URU}}
|{{BRA}}
|{{BRA}}
|-
|2014
|{{COL}}
|{{BRA}}
|{{COL}}
|-
|2016
|{{MEX}}
|{{BRA}}
|{{URU}}
|-
|2022
|{{BRA}}
|{{BRA}}
|{{ARG}}
|-
|2024
|{{ARG}}
|{{URU}}
|{{URU}}
|}

== FITB presidents ==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%"
|-
!Name
!Nationality !!Years !!FITB headquarters
|-
|Hermann Brandt
|{{SUI}}||1971–1972||[[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]]
|-
|Théodore Werey
|{{FRA}}||1972–1984||[[France]]
|-
|Liu Zhengfeng
|{{TWN}}||1984–1996||[[Taoyuan County|Taoyuan]], [[Taiwan]]
|-
|John Andrews
|{{GBR}}||1996–2000||[[United Kingdom]]
|-
|Michel Farve
|{{SUI}}||2000–2004||[[Switzerland]]
|-
|Daniel Bushbeck
|{{SUI}}||2004–2009||[[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]]
|-
|Huang Chin Cheng
|{{TWN}}||2009–2017||[[Kaohsiung City|Kaohsiung]], [[Taiwan]]
|-
|Fang Shen Szu
|{{TWN}}||2017–2021||[[New Taipei City|New Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]
|-
|Huang Chin Cheng
|{{TWN}}||2021–present||[[Kaohsiung City|Kaohsiung]], [[Taiwan]]
|}

==See also==
* [[Tchoukball at the 2009 World Games]]

==Notes==
<references/>

==External links==

===Associations===
*[https://fitb.org/ FITB - International Tchoukball Federation - official site]

{{Sports of the World Games program}}
{{Team Sport}}
{{European Championships}}
{{Main world championships}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Team sports]]
[[Category:Ball games]]
[[Category:Sports originating in Switzerland]]