It will be the first time this fast-growing sport has been included on the European Games programme.

Teqball, in which players use football skills in matches involving a net and custom-built convex tables, thus becomes the 16^th sport on the programme.

It follows the recent addition of padel, a racquet sport played within a glass-walled court and often described as a cross between squash and tennis.

Since the creation of teqball in 2012, Poland has staged numerous teqball competitions and the sport has proven popular across the country.

National Teqball Federations in Europe will have the opportunity for their athletes to compete in men’s and women’s singles and doubles, as well as mixed doubles at the Games.

A maximum of 70 teqball athletes will compete.

The two recent additions to the programme signal further innovation by the EOC to create a diverse and interesting programme of Olympic and non-Olympic sports.

Chair of the European Games Coordination Commission Hasan Arat praised the innovation of the sport.

"Teqball is a sport based on skill, concentration and stamina," he said.

"It is creating a new breed of athlete and we are very pleased to welcome the sport of teqball on to the programme for the Games in 2023 and the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ) into the EOC family.

"Once again we are showing our willingness to give new sports a platform alongside our Olympic sports."

Teqball co-founders Gábor Borsányi (FITEQ President), Viktor Huszár (FITEQ chairman) and György Gattyán (FITEQ vice-president) reflected on the historic announcement, saying:  "This is a special day for the teqball family.

"Our sport was born in Europe - a continent which has been at the heart of our global growth since then and to be part of the most prestigious European sports event is huge honour for everyone associated with our sport.

"We’re grateful to the EOC, the Polish Olympic Committee and the Organising Committee and we believe our youth-focused and gender-equal sport can bring a unique perspective and add real value to the Games in 2023 as a medal sport."

The European Games are the continent’s premier multisport event for elite athletes and are held every four years.

Teqball joins 3×3 basketball, archery, badminton, beach handball, boxing, canoe, cycling, karate, modern pentathlon, muaythai, padel, shooting, sports climbing, taekwondo and triathlon as sports already on the 2023 programme, with more set to be announced in the coming weeks.

It will be the first time for padel to feature at a major multi-sport event since the creation of the International Padel Federation (IFP) in Madrid in 1991.

The racquet sport is played in over 90 countries worldwide, with its largest following in Europe and South America, in particular Argentina and Spain.

The International Padel Federation (FIP) currently counts 51 National Federations as members.

At the European Games Kraków-Małopolska, 64 of the best padel athletes in Europe will compete in men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles across five days of competition.