[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 7 (Monday, January 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E4-E5]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE UNITED STATES SEPAK TAKRAW TEAM VICTORY AT THE 2022 
                            ISTAF WORLD CUP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 9, 2023

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the United 
States Sepak Takraw Team on winning gold medals at the 2022 
International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) World Cup in Daejeon, 
South Korea. The team overcame many challenges and exceeded 
expectations when they won gold in Division 1 of the 3x3 and 4x4 
tournaments.

[[Page E5]]

  The 2022 ISTAF World Cup hosted 13 participating countries and was 
held from November 25-29, 2022 after originally being scheduled for 
2019 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States team 
is coached by Jeremy Nathan Mirken, and was made up of 6 athletes of 
Hmong, Karen and Karenni descent: Ker Cha; Christ Blu Moo; Oo Reh; Jim 
Thao; John Thao and Yan Naing Soe. The team hails from 6 states across 
the country, and includes athletes from Saint Paul, Minnesota in the 
Fourth Congressional District.
  Sepak Takraw also known as `Kick Volleyball', is a team sport 
originated in Malaysia and commonly played with 2 or 4 players on a 
court similar to a badminton court. A popular sport in Southeast Asian 
countries, Sepak Takraw has slowly spread around the world and has 
gained popularity in Minnesota where we are proud to have a large Hmong 
and Karen community. The main objective of the game is to kick the ball 
to the other side of the net within the boundary of the opponent's 
team, similar to volleyball, but players are only allowed to use their 
feet, knees, shoulders, chest or head to get the ball over the net. 
Game play is described in the very name of the sport--sepak is Malay 
for ``kick'' while takraw is Thai for ``woven rattan ball'' which is 
the type of ball used in the game.
  United States team manager, Gao Chang, released a statement following 
the team's victory where he stated his hopes that the continued success 
of Team USA would inspire younger generations of Sepak Takraw players. 
While today I celebrate the athletes that brought home victory for the 
United States in 2022, I share in the same hope that younger 
generations will continue to participate in this unique sport and 
represent the United States into the future. Mr. Speaker, please join 
me in recognizing the victory of the United States Sepak Takraw Team.

                          ____________________