Trying digital dodgeball for the first time, Muhammad Firdaus Abdul Shukor did not expect to win a mini-tournament.
“I joined with my friend, Aniq Afiq Anuar.
“Although we have played dodgeball, this version was different because it incorporated interactive augmented reality (AR) and physical fitness.
“We needed to learn the rules first and after watching professional players play digital dodgeball, I managed to learn some tactics,” he said.
The duo beat 64 teams to eventually win the mini tournament.
“It is definitely a challenging sport and physical fitness is required to move around dodging the digital balls,” said Firdaus, adding that they were jubilant to have won in their first attempt at digital dodgeball.
In digital dodgeball, players wear AR headsets and motion sensors on their wrists to compete in fast-paced, two-player team matches.
Players try to hit opponents by shooting digital balls.
The Sunway Youth Dodgeball tournament also saw the sport being endorsed as a new sport by the National Youth and Sports Department (JBSN) this year.
JBSN sports promotion and development deputy director Ahmad Syammeil Mohamad Karim said the department had chosen it as one of the two new sports, with the other one being floorball.
“We had a few pitching sessions for new sports and decided on these two.
“We will work together with Malaysia Association of Dodgeball (MAD) and the Malaysia Floorball Association to promote the sports,” he said during the press conference held at the Sunway Youth Dodgeball closing ceremony at Sunway Velocity, Kuala Lumpur.
Ahmad Syammeil expressed hope that digital dodgeball and floorball could gain traction like pickleball did.
“Pickleball grew significantly over the years, and we hope the same can be achieved by digital dodgeball and floorball,” he added.
MAD president Datuk V. Radhakrishnan aims to promote digital dodgeball to the Under-12 and Under-15 categories in seven states.
“Digital dodgeball combines interactive AR and physical fitness,” he said.
“The sport is already being played in universities and colleges and we would like to introduce it to younger players.
“We will roll out this format of digital dodgeball in Penang, Perak, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Negri Sembilan and Selangor,” said Radhakrishnan.
Meanwhile, the event also showcased Under-12 and Under-15 foam dodgeball for both boys’ and girls’ categories.
The event attracted 24 teams.
Teams battling it out during the digital dodgeball mini tournament. A screen shows players throwing coloured digital balls at their opponents.
