Often described as a spectacular blend of volleyball, football, martial arts and gymnastics, Sepaktakraw is, in reality, a sport unlike any other. Astonishingly visceral and explosive, it is one of the toughest games in the world. Demanding lightning reflexes, precise control and fearless, gravity-defying leaps, Sepaktakraw delivers some of the most intense sporting action.
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 Philipines, Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia and Laos as far back as the 11th century. The "origin" debate may sometimes evoke strong [assions, 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 of 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.
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