 Playing Gateball | |
| Highest governing body | World Gateball Union |
|---|---|
| First played | 1947 |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Team members | Yes |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | Mallet Sport |
| Equipment | Gateball sticks, gateballs |
| Presence | |
| Olympic | No |
| World Games | Invitational in 2001 |
Gateball (Japanese: ゲートボール, Hepburn: gētobōru) is a mallet team sport inspired by croquet. It is a fast-paced, non-contact, highly strategic team game, which can be played by anyone regardless of age or gender. Gateball is most popular in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, with a growing presence in other countries.
Gateball is played on a rectangular court 20 metres (66 ft) long and 15 metres (49 ft) wide. Each court has three gates and a goal pole. The game is played by two teams (red and white) of up to five players. Each player has a numbered ball corresponding to their playing order. The odd-numbered balls are red and the even-numbered balls are white. Teams score one point for each ball hit through a gate and two points for hitting the goal pole, in accordance with the rules. A game of gateball lasts for thirty minutes and the winner is the team with the most points at the end of the game.