September 05, 2002

Sepak is Malaysian for "kick", and takraw means "woven ball" in Thai. Put them together and you get Sepak Takraw, the 500 year old Malaysian sport that's taking the rest of the world by...a really slow moving storm. Think 3 players on a side, using soccer kicks and head butts, on a volleyball court, trying to get a beautiful little hard, woven rattan ball over the net. It may be coming to the 2008 Winter Olympics, and small leagues are popping up all over the place. Photo op.

posted by iconomy to other at 06:52 AM - 2 comments

One of my best memories of living in SEAsia was watching a group of kids play takraw in a dusty court beside a nasty highway in Vientiane, Laos. The kids were each mini-Peles, volleying and kicking the ball with laser accuracy. Then one of the kids did an over-the-head bicycle-kick smash and I couldn't talk for minutes...

posted by Cap'n Swing at 12:01 PM on September 05, 2002

Oh yeah...IMG has their eyes all over this one.

posted by smithers at 08:31 PM on September 06, 2002

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