Hopa

Hopadromo Nacional Bogotá in Colombia before an international match against Birabatu.

### First Played

Disputed; 18th Century Brazil, 15th Century Birabatu, 17th Century Barbados

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### Type

Team sport, Indoor/Outdoor, Contact sport

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### Country or Region

Worldwide (dominance in the Caribbean, Latin America, and pockets of Northern Europe)

### Olympic

No

**Hopa** is a team sport in which 2 teams of five players oppose on a round field, 100 meters in diameter, with the objective of rolling a large, inflated ball to the opposing team's end of the field while preventing the other team from getting control and scoring. Each time one team scores, called a "Hopa," is worth one point. The game is overseen by a referee known as a Loa, who is responsible for handing out penalties, calling plays, and serving decisions during gameplay. The team is divided up into three main positions: the forward striker (Konuaka), the wings (Makafetu), and the defenders (Ka'ku Umati), with both an offensive and defensive duty for all positions. Games are played in 120 minutes, with the team ending with more points winning the match. In the case of a tie, games will continue with 30 minutes added time. In an elimination match, the golden goal rule will be implemented during the 30 minutes. Indefinite play will extend afterwards if the goal is not scored during those 30 minutes.

Players advance the ball by rolling the ball and covering it with their body. Full contact is allowed everywhere but the head and groin. Players can pass the ball to teammates, and lifting is allowed up to 5 centimeters, but often it comes to the Loa's personal preference. Plays begin with the Konuaka placing their non-dominant hand on the ball, then attempting to take control. If a penalty is incurred, the starting procedure for the next play differs. Players wear sleeveless kits and play with specially adapted Hopa cleats for the soft clay fields. Many international stadiums, especially in Latin America, do employ grass fields and issue cleats for these, but the endzone is universally clay.

The origins of the game are highly contested. The game holds high dominance in the nation of Birabatu, as well as many other island nations in the region. The earliest documented mention of a game similar to this is in a cave painting found on the island of Tekoke, who claims to be the "birthplace of Hopa." Similar depictions, however, have been found on petroglyphs in Barbados and more cave art in the hills of Brazil. The game evolved to massive popularity across the world, with the largest and most viewed league being the Birabatui Hopa League. The most viewed Hopa event, however, is the quadrennial Hopa World Cup, held in different locations around the world, most recently in the West Indies. The word "Hopa," used internationally, is the Birabatui spelling and pronunciation for the sport. Regional adaptations are often accompanied by their own word. Some of the popular instances are Brazil using "Oupa," Barbados and Jamaica opting for "Opan," Japan using "オパー" (pronounced Ohpā), and the Netherlands saying "Ojpa."

### History

#### Origins

The first mentions of Hopa exist in the **Kaupaniwikai Caves** in Tekoke. The cave art has been carbon-dated to the 10th Century, presumably created by Tribal Natives. The art depicts two figures playing with a large, proportionally accurate Hopa Ball. Another example is the 14th century petroglyphs found in the Coco Hill Forest of Barbados, which are part of a collection of about 15 petroglyphs, one of which depicts a similar scene of two figures and a Hopa ball. The last major example of Hopa origin belongs to Brazil in the hills of Sierra da Capivara national park, one of the most important places for conservation of ancient Amerindian art. A piece of cave art is found using pigments and dyes, dating back to the 12th century AD. The resemblance to Hopa is remarkable, with balls like the ones depicted in these cave arts still sold today. It is generally accepted that Hopa was created by a settlement of Natives in the Caribbean-South American region, made as a form of entertainment using large inflated balls, purportedly created using inflated sacs of animal skin, wrestled over until a goal was achieved. The game is unique, as it combines both wrestling contact sports and ball-goal sports, one of the only major sports to do so.

Hopa as we know it today did not produce the same rapid proliferation and dominance in Barbados and Brazil as it did in modern Birabatu. In Brazil, the last mention of Hopa was in 1500, which coincided with Portuguese settlement of the nation, meaning that colonizers likely wiped out the "tribal" game in favor of their own entertainment. The same can be presumed with Barbados, whose limited native population was culled and subdued by settling British colonizers, who introduced their own sports in 1627. Hopa, however, proliferated through the surrounding archipelago in Birabatu, first reaching Aru, then spreading imperceptibly throughout the islands. In Ancient Buora mythology, Hopa represents a holy act, with mythological figures like the epic hero Uāni playing the game, often to defeat foes. Codified rules seem to have been introduced in the late 14th century. For 300 years, Hopa remained largely a tribal sport under British rule, until 1930 when the Birabatu Hopa League (BHL) was founded in the post-independence nationalist fervor, becoming the oldest organized Hopa competition in the world. The BHL operated with their own set of Birabatui rules, borrowed from the general acceptance of tribal laws.

In 1992, the Hopa International Board Association (HIBA) was founded in Peleketu by a council of 5, including a President. The Board codified a set rulebook, differing in minor places from the BHL rules, and universalized the laws of Hopa. It absorbed leagues around the world including the Brazilian Série Hopa Campeonato and the Cuban Primera Liga Hopa, impressing the HIBA codebook on each of these leagues. With the advent of universalized Hopa came collegiate Hopa, first pioneered by upper class schools like Lantasão and UBinñye, where the BHL laws were first codified in 1930. Competitions sprouted for Hopa Clubs across Birabatu, like the BHB Cup (Known as BHB TokoBank cup for sponsorship reasons) and the University cup, which is now also participated in by large professional clubs.

#### Internationals

The first ever International match of Hopa ever played was between the teams of Birabatu and Brazil in 1943, teams which were effectively hobby club teams of patriotic athletes. Birabatu won 3 sets to 2, sparking the fiercest rivalry in International Hopa. Within years, teams across the Caribbean, Latin America, and Iberia had sprouted for international play. The first international touring competition was the Hopa Cup of Champions, won by Barbados in a hotly contested final match against Birabatu. The unorganized nature of the competition prompted the universalization of international Hopa and the founding of HIBA. Intercontinental play became common, as teams would often play in "friendlies," or inconsequential matches hosted to increase support of the sport around the world. It worked. Subgroups of governance sprouted across the world, with the FHC (Federación Hopa del Caribe), FHE (Federación Hopa de Europa), FHL (Federación Hopa de Latinoamerica), FHA (Federación Hopa de África), and the FHO (Federación Hopa de Oriente) being the primary subdivisions under the larger international umbrella.

Soon, international cup competitions began to sprout. Each regional subdivision hosted their own cup. These cups (Copa Caribe, Copa Europa, Copa Latina, Copa Oriente) were the ultimate prize every national team yearned for. The first of these series happened in 1976, before establishment of HIBA. Birabatu, Spain, Colombia, and the Philippines all claimed victory in their original regional cups. When the first Hopa match was televised on network television in 1981, the sport skyrocketed in popularity. More and more countries adopted it as a pastime, and eventually joined their respective regional Federations. The sport appealed largely to indigenous, tribal populations in lesser developed countries, but it soon took international hold in most major athletic spheres. The advent of the European Hopa scene came in 1984, when the Dutch Oranjes played in Borakino in an exhibition match, launching viewership in The Netherlands and across Northern Europe.

In 1994, A Birabatui boat, the BNS Kanagua, ran aground on the shore of Senegal. The sailors aboard were mostly Buora shipyard laborers who were employed to transport a shipment of sugar and molasses to Angola. When the incident occured, the sailors fled the ship into the surrounding wilderness, and started a small settlement while awaiting rescue. To pass the time, the sailors played Hopa, which was noticed by the surrounding Senegalese villagers. They took up the sport, which quickly proliferated across the country. As cities like Dakar began to accept Hopa as a new phenomenon, the country nationalized the sport by creating a national Hopa team. This was the beginning of the spread of Hopa throughout West Africa and North Africa. In 1997, the FHA was formed, making the IHB Federation system complete.

#### World Cup

By the late 1990s, Hopa was an established international phenomenon. Countries played each other in regional cups, they crossed seas for friendly matches, and domestic club leagues took hold around the world. IHB President Kevalu Mangonifa noticed that the regional cups had become repetitive and divisive, with little mobility for teams and little passion from fans. Mangonifa presented the idea for a Hopa World Cup in May of 1999 to the IHB council. The World Cup consisted of 20 countries in 5 groups of 4, with the top two nations of each group advancing to the quarterfinals. The semifinals consisted of 5 teams, each playing the other four once. The two teams with the highest amounts of points advanced to the finals. It was won by Birabatu with a 3-1 victory against Brazil.