India’s first national quadball seminar sparks new growth
India’s first official quadball seminar drew more than 100 students and teachers to Arya Vidya Mandir School in Jind, Haryana, on March 21, 2025. Athilesh Thanigai, who played for Team India at the 2023 IQA World Cup before becoming technical coach of the newly established Indian National Governing Body, ran the day with a live demonstration, rule instruction and on-site learning. His parents handled live translation throughout the seminar.
The International Quadball Association supported the seminar through its Development Fund and approved the funding request as a justified exception before India had full membership status. It helped the new governing body strengthen coaching practices, plan future activities and buy new materials so the sport could be taught with proper equipment rather than borrowed improvisation.
Quadball returned to the Ubuntu Sports Festival in 2025 for its second year. The festival is scheduled for August 4 to 11 and will draw more than 300 children a day. Quadball sits inside a broader program that also includes rugby, soccer, basketball, athletics, netball, skipping, traditional African games, conservation work and cultural activities.
In March 2024, seven Quadball Uganda players traveled more than 1,300 kilometers round trip to Adjumani, Kiryandongo, Lugazi and Entebbe, reaching more than 900 attendees, including students as young as 3. John Ssentamu led the tour, and the communities wanted quadball to return. Negra Flores, the IQA expansion manager, linked the SportsUganda partnership to the sport’s expansion. In 2023, Quadball Uganda also received a development fund grant for hoops and brooms.
Michael Smith Mugote introduced quadball there in November 2023 after learning it in Uganda, and informal sessions in Eastleigh and Githurai grew into the Quadball Federation of Kenya. The federation is now in the final stages of official registration, a move that would help unlock government support and funding ahead of the 2027 IQA Quadball World Cup in London, scheduled for July 23 to 25, 2027.