TCHOUKBALL ON RIGHT PATH

S'pore's age-group titles in Geneva bode well for Asia-Pacific and world c'ships

- Kimberly Kwek

Ryan Ng (second from right) was named the Most Valuable Player in the Next Generation Boys category, which Singapore won at the Dec 13-20 Geneva Nations Cup.

(PHOTOS: CHOUKBALL GENEVA INDOORS)

A strong showing by Singapore's age-group teams at the Geneva Nations Cup has given encouragement to local tchoukball, especially with major competitions like the Asia-Pacific and world championships on the horizon.

At the Dec 13-20 event in Switzerland, Singapore emerged from an international field including powerhouses Italy and the hosts to win the men's Under-21 and boys' U-16 titles.

They claimed silver in the senior men's, women's U-21 and mixed U-16 events, besides three bronzes in the mixed Open, senior women's and girls' U-16 categories.

For Tchoukball Association of Singapore (TBAS) secretary-general Delane Lim, the promising results were the fruits of its long-term systematic planning to promote the sport at the grassroots level.

He said: "These breakthroughs are strong indicators that Singapore tchoukball is moving in the right direction.

"Success at the age-group level shows that our systems are beginning to align, from coaching and athlete development to structured competition exposure."