ST. PAUL, Minn. - It's quick. It looks badminton, crossed with volleyball, soccer in the fact you can't use your hands. And there's a hint of hackeysack.
The name is Sepak Takraw. It originated out of China and was played by military officials from centuries ago. And depending on where you played it, depended on what you called it.
"In Thailand, it’s called Takraw. In Malaysia, it’s called Sepak. In Laos, it’s called Kato. They all came together in the 60s and called it Sepak Takraw," said Lee Pao Xiong of Sepak Takraw USA.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund presented the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department with a $100,000 grant to officially bring the Southeast Asia sport to Saint Paul, home to a large Hmong community.
Dana Nelson of the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee says the money will go toward the retrofitting of the tennis courts for the sport.
"If we didn’t have the money. We wouldn’t be able to build a court," Xiong said.
And they already have big plans for the sport.
"Continue to draw more people and develop leagues and from those leagues, we will develop teams and then eventually hopefully we will start a bigger movement in the US and eventually make it to an Olympic Sport."