Huquan

Huquan is most unlike any sport back home, I have found it to be a highly enjoyable and captivating pastime

— Lorenzo Pisa

History

The sport of Huquan originated in the Angdom tribe, who inhabit the north-east of Ri'teng. It is unknown exactly when the game was first played or who created it, although most historians agree it was around 700AE. Soon after it was conceived, the sport spread to the other tribes and it was not long before it was a commonly played sport. For the last 70 years, the RHO (Ri'tengan Huquan Organisation) has run contests for Huquan teams and publishes official rulebooks.
Each year, the RHO holds the Huquan Games. Every Huquan team that decides to enter is paired up with another local team, the winner of that goes on to play another winner, etc. The process repeats until there are only two teams left, the final teams face off in a highly attended match at the current capital.
Currently, the title of champion is held by the Witall Huquan Club - a small club from the village of Witall of the Angdom tribe. The group's win surpassed all expectations, with the majority of bets being held for the opposing team of the Laoten Huquan Club - who were last years champions. Witall Huquan Club managed to succeed by successfully knocking out the Laoten team captain near the end of the game, much to the surprise of everyone, this allowed them two easy goals which put them ahead at the last minute.

Rules

Huquan is a handball game that is played with two teams of five players. The aim of Huquan is to score as many points as possible within thirty minutes. Points are obtained by throwing the ball throw the small hoop successfully - the team with the highest number of points at the end wins. Huquan is played on a rectangular court with a hoop at each end.
At the start of the game, the ball is tossed in the air by the referee and it goes to whichever team grabs it first.
The ball is moved around the court by throwing it to teammates - you cannot move whilst holding the Huquan ball. The ball can be intercepted, stolen and deflected by the opposing team. Every member of the team is permitted to move anywhere within the court, although all successful teams usually assigns roles and areas to individual players.
A goal can be scored from anywhere on the court, though it is usually done from a short distance. The shooter will hurl the ball towards the hoop and if it successfully passes through then a goal has been scored and the team gains one point. If they miss, then the ball goes to the opposing team and they play from the centre.
A unique aspect of Huquan is a move known as 'knockout': if the Huquan ball is successfully thrown at an opposing player, in any part of the body below the waist, then that player is out of the game for the next five minutes. However, if a knockout is attempted and fails then the player who attempted it is out of the game for the next five minutes. A Knockout fails if the ball is caught, deflected or simply misses the player. The risk of the move means that it is rarely performed in official games and when it is, is only performed by the most talented of players.
The use of significant physical violence, herbalism and magic is forbidden from the game. Any players caught doing so in an official RHO game usually receive a temporary ban.

Casual Games

Huquan is also commonly played casually. Many will go to their local Huquan club at the end of the week to relax with a few lighthearted, fun games of Huquan. It is also a common activity to go and attend an official Huquan match, with these events being one of the most highly attended in the nation.

A Basic Design of a Huquan Court

A Basic Design of a Huquan Hoop