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India conquers the 2026 Tejo World Championship in Colombia and becomes the tournament’s first two-time champion

  • Lizeth Ortega Cubillos
    journalist and digital communication specialist
Last weekend, the fourth Tejo World Championship 2026 was held in Bogota, Colombia, a gathering that brought together 18 international delegations and also enabled cultural and diplomatic exchange around Colombia’s national sport.

The participating delegations included representatives from Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico and Canada from the Americas; India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, China and Australia from Asia and Oceania; as well as people from various European countries.

On this occasion, the Indian delegation took the trophy for the second consecutive year, becoming the first two-time champion in the tournament’s history. The Asian nation faced the Netherlands in an exciting final. Colombia, where the sport originated, was defeated.

India’s Embassy in Colombia celebrated the victory on social media and highlighted the importance of this kind of space. “We are proud that India emerged victorious, revalidating its title in this unique international celebration of tejo. Congratulations to all participating missions and a special mention to the India team from our Embassy!” it said.

Among those attending the event were India’s Ambassador to Colombia, Vinod Bahade; First Secretary Vineet Kumar; and Second Secretary Manoj Kumar.

From Bogota, the District Tourism Institute (IDT) also highlighted the tournament’s international character and its ability to turn tejo into a space for integration, cultural diplomacy and relations between countries. The entity also noted that the competition helps bring Colombia’s national sport to new settings and showcase this tradition before the international community.

Tejo, or turmequé, is a traditional game in which participants throw metal discs at clay targets containing small explosive charges; the competition, which can be played individually or in teams, combines skill and precision.

However, tejo is not only a sporting tradition: Colombian legislation has recognized it as the national sport since 2000 and as intangible cultural heritage of the Nation since 2019.

Today, Colombia has the Colombian Tejo Federation, an entity that seeks to promote, develop and preserve tejo as the national sport, as well as encourage inclusive and diverse participation at all levels, from basic training to high-performance competition.

Who have been the tournament’s winners?

In 2023, the title went to Peru; in 2024, to Switzerland; in 2025, India won its first championship, and in 2026 it won again, becoming the first delegation to win the tournament twice.

The event is organized by Tejo La Embajada, a cultural venue in Bogotá that has promoted this initiative since 2023. The Colombo British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham Colombia) and the Colombo British Chamber of Commerce also supported the organization of the gathering.

Sources:
● Mayor’s Office of Bogotá. (2026, October 7). Bogotá got the world playing tejo: India won the fourth World Championship of this sport. https://bogota.gov.co/mi-ciudad/desarrollo-economico/bogota-puso-al-mundo-jugar-tejo-india-gano-mundial-de-este-deporte
● Colombian Tejo Federation. (n.d.). Colombian Tejo Federation. https://www.federacioncolombianadetejo.com/
● Radio Nacional de Colombia. (2026, October 6). Tejo World Championship 2026: India won and Colombia was runner-up. https://www.radionacional.co/actualidad/deportes/mundial-de-tejo-2026-india-gano-y-colombia-fue-subcampeona
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