Medicine Hat B wins national Sepak Takraw title on home court
The Big Marble Go Centre hosted its first Canadian national championship, drawing eight teams and 31 matches over the weekend.
Medicine Hat B won the Canadian Open Sepak Takraw championship on Saturday night, defeating a combined Saskatchewan-British Columbia team 17-15, 15-7 in a best-of-three final held at the Big Marble Go Centre.
The opening set was tightly contested, tied 14-14 before Medicine Hat pulled ahead to close it out. The visiting squad drew crowd applause for acrobatic plays, including back-flip spikes and high kick serves, but faded in the second set as Medicine Hat's server and spiker held steady to seal the win.
It marked the first time Medicine Hat has hosted the national championship, which featured eight teams from Medicine Hat, Rosthern, Sask., Calgary, Edmonton and a combined Saskatchewan-British Columbia squad across 31 matches. The winning Medicine Hat B roster included Knoukham Keomanivong, who was also part of the city's 2024 championship-winning team.
Sepak Takraw Canada president Rick Engel said the tournament drew strong community turnout, and organizers voted at their annual general meeting to return the championship to Medicine Hat in 2027, on the same weekend. Top performers from the event will also be considered for Team Canada ahead of the 2027 King's Cup World Championships in Thailand, contingent on sponsorship.
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