NANTES: This week in western France, more than 1,000 table football players are competing in a World Cup while wearing athletic clothing and using special hand grips for added strength.
The six-day competition offers the chance for organizers to push for the game’s international recognition as a sport in addition to the bragging rights for the winners.
Table football is typically thought of as a bit of fun because it is typically played in bars or outside, and it frequently involves drinking, smoking, and shouting.
However, the World Cup in Nantes has brought together the most devoted supporters from all over the world who see it as more than just casual interludes with friends.
The head of the International Table Soccer Federation, based in France, Farid Lounas, said of the event, “It’s a wonderful competition, but it’s not just a race for the medals.”
The main goal, he continued, is to institutionalize this discipline that fosters interpersonal interaction and that, by requiring only a table, transcends social class.
From diverse nations like Japan, Iran, and the United States, many players have flown great distances to attend.
