World Chase Tag
 | |
| Sport | Game of tag |
|---|---|
| Founder | Christian and Damien Devaux |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, NBCSN, Channel 4 |
| Official website | www |
World Chase Tag is an international championship for competitive parkour involving the game of tag. Events have been televised on NBCSN in the United States,[1] and on Channel 4, ITV and BBC Three in the United Kingdom.[2][3][4] Events have also attracted millions of views online.[2]
World Chase Tag was founded in Britain by Christian Devaux in 2012, with his brother Damien joining the organisation the following year. The inspiration for the sport came after a game of tag between Christian and his child.[5]
Rules
Matches are played between two teams of up to six players over a series of 16 rounds. Each round is contested between one member of each team, with one player as the chaser and their opponent as the evader.
Players begin the round at opposite sides of a 12m × 12m square known as "The Quad", which is filled with various obstacles that players move over, under and through using parkour skills.[6] The chaser has 20 seconds to tag the evader with their hand. If either player steps foot outside of The Quad they forfeit the round.
Points can only be scored by the evading team. A successful tag results in that player becoming the evader for the next round and no points being awarded. A successful evasion results in that player's team scoring a point, and the evader retaining that role for the next round. The losing player is replaced by a teammate who chases. Rounds are separated by 25 second rest breaks.
The team with the most points after 16 rounds wins. Ties result in a "sudden-death chase-off", which consists of a pair of rounds with each team chasing in one and evading in the other. The team with the longest evasion time wins. If this results in a further tie (i.e. both teams successfully evade for 20 seconds) the process is repeated.[7]
Major events
| Event | Date | Location | Winners | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Chase Tag | 18 December 2016 | World Championship | Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, UK | Marrero Gang | The Storror Chase Off. First major World Chase Tag competition. |
| World Chase Tag 2 | 2017 | World Championship | York Hall, London, UK | Marrero Gang | |
| World Chase Tag 3 | 9 September 2018 | World Championship | York Hall, London, UK | Marrero Gang | |
| World Chase Tag Euro 19 | 26 June 2019 | Continental Championship | York Hall, London, UK | Blacklist | |
| World Chase Tag 4 | 25 August 2019 | World Championship | York Hall, London, UK | United | First event to be televised, in edited highlight programme broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK[8] and NBCSN in the US. |
| World Chase Tag – USA 2020 | 16 October 2020 | National Championship | Coca-Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Apex | First event outside of UK. Event broadcast by NBCSN[1][9] and made into a 6-part series by Channel 4 in the UK.[10] |
| World Chase Tag 5 – USA Championship | 6 August 2021 | National Championship | Goodyear Hall, Akron OH, USA | Apex | |
| World Chase Tag 5 – UK Championship | 8 November 2021 | National Championship | York Hall, London, UK | Phat | |
| World Chase Tag 5 – World Championship | 27–29 May 2022 | World Championship | York Hall, London, UK | Apex ETH | Televised on BBC Three.[3] Including the first women's exhibition match. |
| World Chase Tag 6 – USA Championship | 7–9 October 2022 | National Championship | Esports Stadium Arlington, TX, USA | Apex Moon | |
| World Chase Tag 6 – USA Women's Championship | National Championship | Kunoichi | Creation of the first women's league. | ||
| World Chase Tag 6 – Pan American Championship | 3–5 March 2023 | Continental Championship | Greater Columbus Convention Centre – Columbus, OH, USA | Apex Sun |
See also
References
- ^ a b "NBC Sports Group becomes exclusive US media home for World Chase Tag". NBC Sports Group. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Channel 4 brings the thrill of the world chase tag championships to television". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b "BBC Three – World Chase Tag Championship". BBC. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- ^ "World Chase Tag". ITV.
- ^ "World Chase Tag – About". www.worldchasetag.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Quad". www.worldchasetag.com. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "Rules". worldchasetag.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Channel 4 brings the thrill of the World Tag Chase Championships to television | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- ^ "WORLD CHASE TAG AND NBC SPORTS CELEBRATE "WORLD CHASE TAG DAY ACROSS THE U.S.A." TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23RD ON NBCSN". NBC Sports Pressbox. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
- ^ "World Chase Tag | All 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 2023-01-28.