NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Today’ beloved host Hoda Kotb had always been known for her adventurous spirit and her willingness to try new things. Her curiosity often led her to discover unique and exciting experiences.
Recently, she took to her Instagram to share a newfound sporting activity called the ‘Balloon World Cup.’
The Balloon World Cup is a sporting event based on a game of keep-up with a balloon. Players have to touch the balloon with their hands, launching it upwards, and they can only touch the balloon once before their opponent touches it.
The tournament is held on a set that resembles a living room, and a Volkswagen was brought onto the set for the final. The first edition of the Balloon World Cup was held on October 14, 2021, and the second edition was held on October 27, 2022.
What is Balloon World Cup?
The Balloon World Cup is a sporting event organized by Ibai Llanos and Gerard Piqué based on a game of keep-up with a balloon that went viral on social media.
The first edition of the Balloon World Cup was held on October 14, 2021, at the convention center in the PortAventura World Resort in the province of Tarragona, Spain.
The tournament was broadcast live on Llanos's Twitch channel, and it featured 32 competitors from 32 nations. Peruvian Francesco de la Cruz won the first edition of the tournament, defeating German Jan Spiess in the final.
The second edition of the Balloon World Cup was held on October 27, 2022, at the PortAventura Convention Centre in Vila-Seca, Tarragona, Spain.
The number of entering countries was reduced from 32 to 16, with Spain's Miguel Imbroda being crowned world champion, defeating Brazil's Claudio Lassance in the final.
The Balloon World Cup is a simple game where competitors bat a balloon up in the air and keep playing until the balloon touches the ground.
There are only two rules in the game, you can't hinder your opponent's path to the balloon, and all hits must be in an upward motion, making it illegal to spike the balloon into the ground like a game of volleyball.
Hoda Kotb’s new sporting interests
On Sunday, ‘Today’ Show alum Hoda Kotb shared a short clip of the newly established game, ‘The Balloon World Cup’, stating her wishes to play the game.
She captioned the post, “Happy Monday..did u know this was a thing? Sign me up!”
Many of Kotb’s fans flooded her Instagram post with comments that reflected their playful spirit. They affectionately teased her about her newfound passion for the Balloon World Cup.
One fan wrote, “This might be the only athletic competition In which I could compete! Love it!”, and another added, “We do this w our grandkids… favorite thing ever ???.”
One more fan commented, “Best things I’ve seen in years!” While another said, “Finally, a sport I could get to the Olympics with.”
Other fans also reflected on the eccentric game as one wrote, “We didn’t but my daughter and I play it and she calls it keepy yuppy.” Another said, “It's "keepy uppy!" Iykyk! My son has to see this.”
