UM holds first kin-ball match in Macao

35 student leaders from the University of Macau’s (UM) Stanley Ho East Asia College (SHEAC) recently received kin-ball training from the Hong Kong Kin-Ball Association and had a friendly match with a team from Hong Kong. As part of the SHEAC’s student leadership orientation and training programme, the kin-ball training session aimed to enhance student leaders’ leadership skills and teamwork. This is the first time that a kin-ball match has been held in Macao.

At the beginning of the training session, instructors taught the student leaders the rules of kin-ball, the importance of teamwork in kin-ball, and the correct way to strike and catch a ball. Two teams of students then played a friendly match with a team from Hong Kong.

‘Kin-ball is a lot of fun. This is the first time we have played this sport,’ says Tina, a second-year student from the Faculty of Business Administration. ‘I was surprised by the size of the ball, which is about 1.5 meters in diameter.’

‘Kin-ball requires a lot of teamwork. A game can’t proceed without the joint effort of all team members,’ Katarina, a third-year student from the Faculty of Law, says. ‘Since kin-ball is not physically demanding, it is an ideal sport for students with different physiques. I look forward to the establishment of Macao’s first kin-ball team at UM.’

Kin-ball is a team sport created in Canada, which is gaining popularity worldwide. It is the only ball game played between three teams at the same time. The International Kin-Ball Federation counts 3.8 million participants, primarily from North America, Europe, and Asia. A representative of Hong Kong Kin-Ball Association says: ‘Our association will be happy to help UM establish its own kin-ball team, which would be a good way to promote the sport in Macao.’