Matkot is finished

Vacationers who decide to have fun playing wooden rackets and a tennis ball (matkot) on the beaches of Cavuri and Maltsinioti will be asked to pay a fine of 1,000 euros.

At the entrance to certain Athenian beaches there is a corresponding sign informing about the aforementioned prohibition. Voula Vari Vouliagmeni Coastal Mayor Grigoris Konstandellos told ERT that the measure has been in place since 2006. The official explained that the beaches in question are located very close to residential areas, resulting in the sound of the ball hitting the racket from morning to night becomes especially annoying for the residents of the area.

“The idea is not ours, it belongs to the previous administration. We reduced the fine, as the previous one was excessive, about 10,000 euros, so in 2022 we brought it up to 1,000 euros,” the mayor said, noting that “there is also a problem with the supervision of this measure, because those who love matkot are large groups, and as a result, the municipal authorities and the police do not always have time to follow everything at once, and therefore there are still problems with maintaining order.”

Since 2019, only 25 fines have reportedly been issued. The official mentioned that the relevant signs located at the entrances to the beaches are removed by strangers, causing the municipality to reinstall them about 5 times a year.

Reference. You have probably seen many times how someone plays frescoball on the beach. They just might not know it was him. Frescobol has long been popular in many countries, for example, in Brazil and Israel, this game is recognized as a national beach sport. In Russia, matkot (the British version of the name, which comes from the Hebrew word for racket) is often confused with badminton or tennis because they are similar. Frescobol, matkot or simply beach tennis is an easy game played with wooden rackets and a tennis ball.

The main distinguishing feature of matkot from most other sports is that there are no winners and losers. The other player is not a rival, but rather a partner. You play for one team, and there is no goal to put out the ball so that someone cannot hit it off. The principle of a frescoball is ridiculously simple – the ball should stay in the air for as long as possible.

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