Gateball is a mallet team sport similar to croquet.

Rules
Gateball is played on a rectangular court 20-25 metres long and 15-20 metres wide. Each court has three gates and a goal pole. The game is played by two teams (red and white) of five players. Each player has a numbered ball corresponding to their playing order. The odd-numbered balls are red and the even-numbered balls are white. Teams score one point for each ball hit through a gate and two points for hitting the goal pole, in accordance with the rules. A game of gateball lasts for 30 minutes.


Origin
Gateball was invented by Eiji Suzuki (later known as Washin Suzuki) in 1947 in Memuro, Japan. Suzuki developed the game as a sport for children, which would require minimal equipment and space in post-war Japan.


Governance
In 1984, the Japan Gateball Union was established. The following year, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Chinese Taipei and the United States of America formed the World Gateball Union (WGU). There are currently 15 affiliated members of the WGU: Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Paraguay, Peru, Singapore, USA and Uruguay. Worldwide, more than 8 million people play gateball.


World Championships
The ninth Gateball World Championships were held on Jeju Island, South Korea, from 20 to 22 October 2006, and were won by Osaka Midori.