Caneball, an Ancient East Asian Sport, Helps Refugees from Myanmar Feel

Caneball, an ancient east Asian sport, helps refugees from Myanmar feel at home in Australia ABC Central Victoria By Beth Gibson Posted Tue at 7:44amTue 27 Aug 2019, 7:44am Photo: The National Caneball Competition in Canberra has grown rapidly since starting in 2013. (Supplied: John Gunn) RELATED STORY: Crowd goes wild over sepak takraw. It's as if Jackie Chan invented tennis RELATED STORY: 'Kung Fu soccer' growing in popularity as refugees import sport RELATED STORY: Logan players make Australian team for ancient sport of Sepak Takraw The ancient east Asian sport of caneball, also known as chinlone, is helping Karen refugees from Myanmar feel more at home in Australia. KEY POINTS: Caneball, also known as chinlone or sepak takraw, is played across SE Asia Refugees from Myanmar are playing it in Australia and building community ties There are competitions in various regional centres across Australia The game is Myanmar's national sport and is similar to volleyball but players use their feet instead of their hands to pass a ball made of handwoven rattan. Many refugees from the Karen ethnic group that fled the war-torn country now play the game regularly in Australia, thanks to competitions run around the country. Moo K'Lue Di Gay dreamed of playing caneball at the world championships when he was a boy. Known as Eagle to friends, Moo K'Lue played the game growing up in Myanmar, previously known as Burma. When he reached state level he was told he had to adopt a Burmese name if he wanted to keep playing. "I disagreed with that because I am Karen and I wanted to use my Karen name," he said. "That's why I lost my chance." Eagle has now achieved his dream and is representing Australia at the King's Cup World Championships in Bangkok this week. His team includes players from around the country, including Canberra, Darwin, Cairns, and Bendigo. PLAYING FOR 1,500 YEARS Photo: Moo K'Lue Di Gay has dreamt of playing caneball at an international level since he was a small boy. (Supplied: Multicultural Youth Services ACT) The origins of caneball are unclear as it is played in many countries across South-East Asia, including in Thailand and Malaysia where it is called sepak takraw. In Myanmar, the game is thought to be about 1,500 years old, and was originally more like a dance then a competitive sport. When Eagle came to Australia in 2008, after spending more than 13 years in a refugee camp in Thailand, he wanted to use the game to help young Karen people. He set up Australia's first National Caneball Competition through his work at Multicultural Youth Services in Canberra. This year, 36 teams and more than 280 people took part in the competition's seventh annual tournament. In Bendigo, central Victoria, Nay Chee Aung, who works as a caseworker at Bendigo Community Health Services, recently organised the second annual Victorian competition. More than 120 people participated from around the state, including those from Werribee, Ringwood, and Geelong. "My main goal when I started the tournament was to bring the community together," Mr Aung said. "[I wanted] to reduce the social isolation and increase participation, which is really good for the community and also lets other communities know that this is the game that we play." Photo: Karen men play caneball in a village in Myanmar. (Supplied: John Gunn) HELPING REFUGEES FEEL AT HOME Both Eagle and Mr Aung fled their home country because of the ongoing civil war between the Karen ethic minority and the Myanmar military. "[The military] attacked our village and burnt all the houses in the village and I lost my family," Eagle said. Both men spent years in Thailand refugee camps before resettling in Australia and Mr Aung said it was hard for his people to adapt to life in Australia. Photo: Nay Chee Aung (centre) with a group of young Karen refugee boys who play caneball in Central Victoria. (ABC Central Victoria: Beth Gibson) "There are some who have difficultly learning the language, because of their previous trauma and level of education," Mr Aung said. "They find it hard to navigate the system; it is a challenge for them." Eagle agreed and said applying for jobs was difficult because when they failed, they had no idea why although he thought it was due to the language barrier. Both Eagle and Mr Aung are passionate about using caneball to give young Karen refugees purpose and joy in their new home. Photo: Many Karen people honed their caneball skills in Thai refugee camps. (Supplied: John Gunn) "It's very important for young people because it helps them build relationships and connections," Eagle said. "Young people from every state have the chance to know each other, learn from different family backgrounds, and build up trusting relationships. "I see the sport of caneball as stopping drugs, stopping fighting, and building trust for the young people." Eagle is also encouraging women to become involved, despite it being a male-only sport in Myanmar and this year, six female teams played in the Canberra competition. "Here in Australia women have equal rights, so I want women to feel important to our community," he said. Mr Aung said the caneball competitions had also helped young Karen people stay connected to their cultural identity. "We may not play footy, but we do play caneball and we can still feel like we are at home when we play our sport," he said. .

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