Singapore women’s tchoukball are world No. 1 team again

SINGAPORE – Following a three-year absence from the top of the world rankings, the Singapore national women’s tchoukball team are back at the pinnacle.

Ahead of the July 9-12 Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships in Taiwan, the International Tchoukball Federation issued the latest world rankings, which saw the Singapore women’s team surge three spots from fourth to first.

National women’s tchoukball captain Tan Wan Ying said: “Returning to world No. 1 is a very special moment for our team because it represents much more than a ranking.

“After reaching the top previously, we experienced setbacks and disappointment, but the team never stopped believing in one another. Fighting our way back to No. 1 is a testament to the resilience, unity and determination of everyone involved.

“Staying at the top will be even more challenging. More countries are investing in women’s tchoukball and the standard around the world continues to improve every year. For us, the key is to remain humble, hungry and focused on continuous improvement.”

Tan and her teammates have been consistently chalking up results in the past year, winning gold at the 2025 South-east Asia Tchoukball Championships, silver at the 2025 World Beach Tchoukball Championships and bronze at the Geneva Nations Cup.

Meanwhile, their male counterparts also made strides to move up from third to second in the world rankings, trailing only to world No. 1 Chinese Taipei. They also won the South-east Asian Championships and clinched a silver at the Geneva Nations Cup.

The goal for them is to reach the peak for the first time, though their skipper Isaac Tan noted the keen competition.

He said: “Rankings are only a reflection of where we are today and not a guarantee of future success.

“There are many strong teams around the world. Chinese Taipei continues to set a very high standard, while countries such as Italy and Switzerland are stepping up as contenders as well over recent years. We are reminded that we still have much to learn and improve on as a team in order to keep up and not fall behind from these powerhouses.

“We are fortunate that there are now more international competitions within our region, giving us valuable opportunities to compete, learn and grow. Rather than focusing too much on rankings, our goal is to keep improving one step at a time, represent Singapore with pride, and see how far that journey can take us.”

Singapore’s boys and girls’ teams are also ranked second behind Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong respectively, and the youth teams can look forward to the Aug 19-24 Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championships in Johor before Singapore host the World Tchoukball Championships from June 30 to July 4, 2027.

Thanking the stakeholders, Tchoukball Association of Singapore general secretary Delane Lim said: “These rankings do not belong to any individual. They belong to every athlete, coach, volunteer, parent, school and supporter who has been part of this journey.

“As we prepare to celebrate 20 years of Tchoukball Singapore and look towards hosting the World Tchoukball Championships 2027, these achievements remind us how far we have come.

“The rankings may change, that is the nature of sport. But what will always remain is the spirit, passion and community that brought us here, and the best chapters are still ahead.”