You may know paddle ball, but have you heard of qianball? And table tennis may be familiar to you but what about stické tennis?
Click start to play today’s Word Search, where you can find all sorts of sports.
One of the sports mentioned in today’s puzzle is qianball (pronounced ‘chinball’). Played with squash-like racquets, a tennis-like net, a ball that resembles the rubber ones you’d find in paddle ball, on a badminton-style court, the game brings together the best of many other sports. Although qianball uses a net, it is considered to be an indirect racquet sport, since all players are positioned on the same side of the net.
Originating in China in 1998, the sport was often used as an alternative to tennis during bad weather, and slowly gained enough popularity to stand on its own. Today, it’s played all over the world, with Denmark being the first to officially introduce it and organise it as part of their national youth sports events.
Another racquet sport, which is far older than qianball, is stické tennis – an indoor game based on lawn tennis that used to be popular in the late 19th century. Invented by the Royal Artillery in the UK in the 1870s, it was thought to provide good exercise, and has been enjoyed over the decades by both men and women. The only major difference in stické is that the ball can be bounced off the walls to be considered in-play. Unfortunately, the sport is dying, with only a few people still playing the game, primarily in Europe.
Lastly, discover a racquet sport that’s as gruelling as any other – the racketlon. A cousin of the triathlon and decathlon, this sport allows you to challenge opponents in each of the four biggest racket sports - table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis. Originating in Finland and Sweden, the sport has rapidly gained popularity around the world.
Which of these sports have you heard of? Play today’s Word Search and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
