The International Korfball Federation congratulates Ying-Ting Huang (Chinese Taipei), who has today been named International World Games Association (IWGA) Athlete of the Month for August 2025 following his outstanding performances at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China.

Huang played a decisive role in Chinese Taipei’s Beach Korfball success, scoring last-second winning goals in both the semifinal against Belgium and the final against the Netherlands. These dramatic moments secured his place in The World Games history and earned him this recognition.

Decisive Performances

Reflecting on the semifinal, Huang explained:

“In the dying moments against Belgium, our original game plan was to target the female matchups. But as the clock wound down, no clear opening appeared… A senior teammate trusted me with the ball, and in that perfect moment where timing, trust, and instinct came together, I pulled the trigger. The shot dropped.” (theworldgames.org)

In the gold medal match against the Netherlands, he kept his composure under immense pressure:

“I calculated that if I released the ball with two seconds left, even a miss would leave the Dutch with no chance to respond… When it swished through, it wasn’t just the end of the match—it was proof of our team’s relentless fight until the very last second.”

Teamwork and Equality

Huang emphasised that these moments were only possible because of the team’s collective effort:

“Yes, I happened to score the golden goals, but every step leading up to them was paved by my teammates, coaches, and staff… The gold medal wasn’t mine. It was ours.”

He also highlighted korfball’s unique character as a mixed-gender sport:

“Unlike most sports that separate men and women, korfball’s mixed format feels natural and truly equal… That’s the beauty of korfball—it’s not just a sport, it’s a real expression of equality.”

Looking Ahead

On receiving the Athlete of the Month award, Huang described it as a personal milestone, while keeping his focus firmly on the future:

“We’ve made history once, but to repeat or surpass it will take even more effort. Moving forward, I’ll keep grinding and chasing greater goals, together with this amazing team.”

Read the full story on The World Games website:

History-maker Huang (TPE) named Athlete of the Month after TWG 2025 triumph

Day 2 Update

The second day of Beach Korfball action at The World Games 2025 is well underway at Xinglong Lake Beach Arena in Chengdu, China — and the excitement is building as the quarter-finalists are now confirmed!

Morning Session Results – Saturday, 16 August

POL 5–16 NED
TPE 7–4 HUN
CHN 18–6 USA
BEL 15–3 AUS

These results complete the group stage and lock in the teams advancing to the Quarter-Finals this evening.

Quarter-Final Line-Up

QF1: NED vs USA
QF2: TPE vs AUS
QF3: CHN vs BEL
QF4: HUN vs POL

The winners of tonight’s quarter-finals will move on to tomorrow afternoon’s semi-finals, while the defeated teams will continue into placement matches.

The Road Ahead

With the semi-finals just around the corner, we’re approaching the business end of the competition. The top teams are hitting peak form, and the intensity on the sand is rising with every match. Who will make it through to the final four and keep their gold medal dreams alive?

Stay tuned and follow all the action live on The World Games website and apps!

Day 1 Recap & Day 2 Preview

Beach Korfball has arrived at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, and the opening day at Xinglong Lake Beach Arena gave fans plenty to enjoy. Fast matches, spectacular goals, and lots of drama made the debut of the sport at The World Games one to remember.

What happened on Day 1

The Netherlands showed why they are favourites, beating Australia 18-0 before winning a key match against Belgium 11-4.

Belgium had earlier produced one of the standout results of the day, defeating Poland 16-6. The margin came as a surprise to many, given Poland’s experience and the fact they were World Beach Korfball Champions in 2022. That win leaves Belgium in a strong position going into the second day.

In Group B, Chinese Taipei looked sharp from the start. They defeated the USA 8-5 and then comfortably beat hosts China 14-3 to finish the day unbeaten. The USA recovered from their opening loss by edging Hungary 8-7 in one of the closest games of the day.

Hungary picked up their first win against China, who had the support of the home crowd but couldn’t find a breakthrough.

Day 1 standings

Group A

Netherlands – 2 wins, 0 losses – 6 points
Belgium – 1 win, 1 loss – 3 points
Poland – 1 win, 1 loss – 3 points
Australia – 0 wins, 2 losses – 0 points

Group B

Chinese Taipei – 2 wins, 0 losses – 6 points
Hungary – 1 win, 1 loss – 4 points
USA – 1 win, 1 loss – 2 points
China – 0 wins, 2 losses – 0 points

What’s next on Day 2

Saturday will decide who reaches the semi-finals. Big games include Poland vs Netherlands and Chinese Taipei vs Hungary, before the evening quarter-finals. With the medal matches tomorrow, every point today will matter.

Follow the action

Fans can follow everything on our social media channels, where we share match recaps, interviews, highlights and the best goals of the day.

All games are streamed live and free at live.theworldgames.org and on The World Games Live app, available on both iOS and Android.

Check back later today for the evening results and the full picture heading into finals day.

Posts

History-maker Huang (TPE) Named IWGA Athlete of the Month After TWG 2025 Triumph