FITEQ sport instructors Zoltán Gondos and Marton Keresztury travelled to Venezuela to add further impetus to teqball’s journey in the South American country. Organised in collaboration with the Venezuela Teqball Federation, the wide-ranging visit included meetings with the Venezuelan National Olympic Committee (NOC), training sessions and events for young teqers, educational programmes for aspiring coaches and referees, and exciting exhibitions.

The FITEQ delegation and the President of the National Teqball Federation Pierre Zeitoune held two meetings with the country’s NOC over the course of a week. A presentation was delivered on teqball’s global growth and the progress it is making in Venezuela, particularly in terms of youth engagement. The FITEQ team then explained the recognition FITEQ has received from international stakeholders, and the major milestones the sport has reached in the past five years. The outcome of the meeting was positive and the NOC will now work closely with Zeitoune and his team to develop the sport further and move towards NOC recognition.

The FITEQ team were equally as busy on the court, arranging multiple demonstrations and training sessions for children across multiple age groups. Most of the sessions were held at the Teqball Caracas Club, which is the beating heart of the sport in the country’s capital city. Sessions were also delivered in the city of Valencia, which is to the West of Caracas and is the home of Zeitoune. In addition to this, the team organised a teqball exhibition at a “Monster Truck Show”, with a large crowd trying out teqball throughout the night.

Before heading home, the team held two days of education courses at the famous Italo Academia de Futbol in Valencia. Existing and aspiring coaches and referees were put through their paces by the FITEQ delegation. The participants are now in a strong position to support teqball’s development across Venezuela in the months and years ahead.