Let’s save tchoukball: the sport of peace seeks generational relief in Malaga

Luis Crespo discovered tchoukball in 2010. It was a crush and in 2011 he was already in Ferrara (Italy) wearing the shirt of the Spanish team in a World Cup. Those were good times for this adaptation of handball, which quickly spread throughout Spain. Now this alternative sport is in danger of disappearing due to the lack of generational change. Born in Switzerland in the 70s, this ball game was created with the idea of ​​avoiding injuries in the sport, so it reduced contact between players. In addition, it allowed men and women to practice it together, making it “one of the most inclusive sports that exists,” says Luis. Tchoukball quickly spread throughout Spain and one of its first stops was Malaga, where Rocío Marmolejo, Luis’s wife, was from. “We went there to organize tchoukball courses, especially among physical education teachers,” says Luis. The schools became a great platform for this sport, which began to live its best years on the Costa del Sol. Years of success “In 2014 there were four girls from Malaga playing the European Championship,” recalls Luis. In 2018 there were five malagueñas in the team. All thanks to the fact that a club was created in the city where some 20 adults played, which allowed for up to two teams. “We managed to organize a Spanish championship in Torrox and another in Estepona where 12 teams from all over the country attended,” says Luis, “the godmother of the tournament was Nuria Benzal, one of the handball girls’ warriors.” they planted in Malaga however it was disappearing. The pandemic has not helped them too much. Today they hardly have players for a team. “Some of us comb gray hair,” says Luis, “at 38 years old and with small children, it’s already complicated.” So complicated that the national association had to carry out a crowdfunding campaign this year under the slogan “Save Tchoukball” in order to participate in the last World Cup in Leeds, England. “We got enough money to pay the expenses,” says Luis . However, the main problem is not money. The generational change is costing to reach this sport. “In Malaga, for example, we compete with the fans of beach sports,” explains Luis, although tchoukball can also be played on the sand. Worried about the future, all efforts are now focused on rescuing players for the league that starts in November. “In the last assembly we established the minimum age to play in the third year of ESO, that is, between 15 and 16 years old,” says Luis. However, his hopes are set a little earlier, in Primary “At the educational level, tchoukball moves through many public schools in Malaga in extracurricular activities,” Luis tells NIUS. Its characteristics with hardly any injuries and allowing boys and girls to play together makes it perfect for educational centers. This is where the future of the sport of Peace may now lie, as declared by UNESCO.