A tiny new sport with big old dreams

In a small courtyard on the north side of Jingshan Park, which overlooks the Forbidden City in Beijing, a small group is practicing a new sport it hopes will resonate with soccer fans. It's called triple J.

"The biggest sports market in the world is shuttlecock kicking" the inventor of triple J, John Du, says on the sidelines. "The three Chinese characters for competitive shuttlecock kicking all begin with J, so I named this game Chinese triple J."

The first known practice of kicking the shuttlecock goes back to the fifth century BC in China and has since spread all over Asia as a popular pastime. Du turned the informal exercise into a competitive sport - releasing a set of rules and official equipment in 2010.

Two teams of three lineups against each other and play a form of badminton over a low net using soccer skills to kick, head and chest the shuttle into the opposing team's court. He claims the sport is already practiced in eight Chinese provinces and is starting to spread abroad.

Du says his motivation for starting the sport was out of a concern that the Olympics have no sports of Chinese origin. He is hoping triple J will be the first.

"I think it will take 10 years, that's my bottom line," he explained with a smile that revealed this may be a little ambitious. "You know Brazil is a soccer superpower and I think it would be great for them to have this sport at the Rio de Janeiro Games."

In July, Beijing will host the third triple J championship, with cash prizes for the winning teams. Although most of the competitive teams come from China, he believes some international players may make the trip. Meanwhile, he is still hoping for a call from the London 2012 organizers.

"London Olympic committee, I ask you to invite us to show our game because it will be very friendly for soccer fans all over the world," Du said.

With less than a month to go, his chances are exceedingly slim, but that's not due to a lack of enthusiasm on his part to make the sport a success.

It may take a little longer to catch on, but given its simplicity and suitability for park play, with ever-increasing urban populations it may have a chance in the long term.

sports@chinadaily.com.cn