International Sepaktakraw Federation

International Sepaktakraw Federation
AbbreviationISTAF
Formation1988
FounderAsian Sepaktakraw Federation (ASTAF)
TypeSports federation
HeadquartersBangkok, Thailand
Membership
50 national associations
Official language
English
President
Thailand Charouck Arirachakaran
Secretary General
Singapore Abdul Halim Bin Kader
WebsiteSepaktakraw.org

The International Sepaktakraw Federation, commonly known as ISTAF, is the international governing body for the sport of Sepak takraw, which was formed in 1988 with five founding member countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Myanmar, officially based in Thailand and with its secretariat in Singapore.[1][2] The current President is Major General Dr. Charouck Arirachakaran of Thailand.[1] Its main goal currently is to spread Sepak takraw into 75 different countries and ultimately make it an Olympic sport by 2026.[3][4][5] As of April 2020, the federation consists of about 50 member national associations, mostly in Asia-Oceania, 13 of which are on provisional status.[6][7]

Under ISTAF guidance, Sepak takraw has become the official sport at the South-East Asian Games since 1965 and has uninterrupted medal status at the Asian Games since 1990. It was additionally introduced as a demonstration sport at the 2009 World Games in Republic of China.[1][2][8] The federation also launched its own international tournaments in 2011, namely ISTAF World Cup and ISTAF SuperSeries (ISS),[9] in which Thailand has won the most medals for.[10][11] However, to secure the goal for the Olympic Games, the federation have to fulfill the requirements of the International Olympic Committee (IOC): Any featured sport must be popularly played in at least 75 countries around the globe,[3] and to be recognised by IOC as well as categorized as ARISF membership, the federation must fulfil certain criteria which include implementing the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, Olympic Movement Code as well as having a minimum of 50 associated national federations from at least three continents.[12]

Sepak takraw is a sport which originated from Southeast Asia.[13] It is played similarly to volleyball but players use their feet, knee, chest and head to carry a rattan ball over the net.[13] It is a spectator sport that contains elements of volleyball, football, martial arts and gymnastics.[14][15][16]

  1. ^ a b c "International Sepaktakraw Federation". Global Association of International Sports Federations. 1988. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Zarei, Azadeh; Ramkissoon, Haywantee (4 May 2020). "Sport tourists' preferred event attributes and motives: a case of Sepak Takraw, Malaysia" (PDF). Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research. 45 (7): 37. doi:10.1177/1096348020913091. hdl:10545/624777. ISSN 1096-3480. S2CID 219021269. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Khairul Saleh (27 February 2012). "Federation dreams of taking the Olympic stage". Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021.
  4. ^ John O’Brien (11 June 2015). "Games-Sepak takraw plans beach landing prior to Olympic invasion". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  5. ^ Ferzalfie Fauzi (5 September 2021). "Istaf yakin Norza mampu merealisasikan takraw ke Olimpik". New Straits Times (in Malay). Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  6. ^ Sazali Abdul Aziz (5 April 2020). "Sepak takraw: Out of Perses, but stalwart Abdul Halim eyes Olympic berth for sport". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. ^ Mohd Nizam Mohamad Yatim (27 November 2020). "Martabatkan sepak takraw". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference sunday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Intentions to expand the ISTAF Super Series in season two". Sports Business Insider. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  10. ^ Azlan Muhammad Zain (5 November 2017). "Malaysia fall to Thailand in World Cup final". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  11. ^ Tin Moe Aung (8 October 2012). "Thailand win first Sepak takraw WC". Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  12. ^ Fadhli Ishak (16 June 2021). "Working on Olympic status for sepak takraw". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Sepaktakraw". Olympic Council of Asia. 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  14. ^ M N Jawis, R Singh, H JSingh, and M N Yassin (2005). "Anthropometric and physiological profiles of sepak takraw players" (PDF). British Journal of Sports Medicine. 39 (11): 825–829. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2004.016915. PMC 1725066. PMID 16244191.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Kacha Udomtaku, and Kurusart Konharn (2020). "Energy expenditure and movement activity analysis of sepaktakraw players in the Thailand league". Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness. 18 (3): 136–141. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2020.04.001. PMC 7248663. PMID 32477418.
  16. ^ Geoff Herbert (27 July 2011). "Viral Video of the Day: Kung fu soccer or volleyball? Sepak Takraw is weird new sport". The Post-Standard. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.