A sport born in Argentina more than a century ago and carried across continents by a Kenyan sports leader is about to take root in Polk County, making this community the first in the United States to officially introduce Cestoball.
Lawrence Adera, founder and president of the Cestoball Kenya Federation and Secretary General of the Confederation of Africa Cestoball Association, moved to Polk County with a clear mission: build the sport he helped establish across Africa into something lasting on American soil, starting right here.
“Polk County is our starting point because every successful movement begins with one community,” Adera said. “Our vision is to establish a strong foundation here and then expand throughout Florida and eventually across the United States.”
129-year-old International Sport
Cestoball (pronounced SESS-toh-ball) was created in Argentina in 1897 by Professor Enrique Romero Brest, a pioneer in Argentine physical education, under the original name “pelota al cesto,” meaning ball to the basket. The sport was incorporated into Argentina’s national physical education curriculum in 1903 and underwent a major modernization in 1986, when it was officially renamed cestoball. Today the International Cestoball Association oversees the sport across 22 member countries on five continents, with active federations in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Argentina has dominated international competition, with its national teams winning both the women’s and men’s titles at the sport’s first-ever World Cup, held in Bangalore, India, in 2023.
The game is played by two teams of six on a rectangular court. Players pass a ball into an elevated basket mounted on a pole without a backboard, requiring precision, teamwork, and strategic positioning. There is no dribbling, no rebounds, and no physical contact, making it fast-paced and accessible to a wide range of ages and abilities. Age divisions run from under-10 all the way through a senior category called Maxi, open to players 30 and older…