Historical records point to early versions of the sport being played in 16th century Thailand, at the Malaysian royal court a century before that, and even across a wide swathe of the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia and Laos as far back as the 11th century. The “origin” debate may sometimes evoke strong passions, but it often obscures reality, namely that the values of the sport resonate right across national divides, and embrace a huge diaspora of Asian cultural traditions.
These cultural threads were finally united in the early 60s, with the establishment of the first codified set of Sepaktakraw playing rules. A first appearance as a medal sport at the South-East Asian Peninsular Games (the forerunner of the South-East Asian Games or SEA Games) materialised in 1965, while the formation of the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) in 1988 was quickly followed by an invitation to join the Olympic Movement at the 10th Asian Games in Beijing in 1990
Over time, unique playing styles have evolved, with different countries developing distinct and fascinating approaches to the game. The sport encourages creativity and innovation, and the revolutionary “Horse-Kick” serve, first developed in Thailand, has flourished in both the men’s and the women’s games. As the tentacles of the sport make their first inroads in the traditional football heartlands of Europe and the Americas, new styles, approaches and techniques, often drawn from different national sporting heritages, are destined to emerge.
photos: Pascal Della Zuana
© Pascal Della Zuana
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