Dodgeball World Cup
School sport “Völkern” takes Graz by storm
Most people probably remember dodgeball from their school days. The professional, athletic and fast-paced version of it is called dodgeball. Graz will soon become the stronghold of the sport, as the World Championships will be held in the city on the Mur from August 11 to 17.
After last year's events in New York's Madison Square Garden in 2020 and Toronto in 2022, the "Dodgeball Worlds" will take place in Graz Sports Park this year. 3,000 fans are expected, especially on the opening and final days. In addition to the Sportpark, the Bluebox will also be used as an event location.
A total of 150 teams with 1600 athletes from 52 nations will be competing in the provincial capital. "Virtually the whole world is represented, including exotic countries such as Singapore, Sierra Leone and Djibouti. And there is also a team from Ukraine," says Daniel Malik, President of the Austrian Dodgeball Association and World Cup organizer. The favorites include teams such as the USA, England, Germany, Scotland and Italy. And Austria!
Red-White-Red is fielding six teams, one women's, one men's and one mixed team in each of the "Foam" (played with five cloth balls) and "Cloth" (six leather balls) divisions. "The aim is to win the world title!" says Malik. And rightly so, as the women's and mixed teams are the defending champions. "We expect a professionalization boost for the sport. Graz is the best place in Austria for a World Cup, nowhere else does dodgeball receive more support," says Malik, who therefore expects a high level of spectator interest.
Graz is the best place in Austria for a World Cup, nowhere else does Dodgeball receive more support.
WM-Organisator Daniel Malik
Still a blank spot in the league
Not least because the sport is easy to understand: the opponent has to be "eliminated" with balls shot by hand. The team with more players on the court after a set (which lasts three minutes) scores two points, or one in the event of a tie. The winner is the team with more points after 40 minutes of play. "The decisive factors are athleticism, speed of reaction and appropriate skill," says Malik. Graz is still a blank spot in the Dodgeball Bundesliga, with most of the 30 teams coming from Vienna. Anyone who wants to try out dodgeball in the region can do so with the "Hobby Klub Kalsdorf 05".
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