Breaking News English

A new sporting [fixture / fixing] was added to the calendar of world sports events this week - the Balloon World Cup. The "sport" of keepy-uppy ballooning is [probable / probably] a familiar one. We have all, at one time or another, [partaken / mistaken] in the decades-old pastime of keeping a balloon up in the air without [abetting / letting] it touch the floor. Spanish soccer [legendary / legend] and Barcelona star Gerard Pique loved this sport so much he decided to develop it [into / onto] an international event. The inaugural Balloon World Cup was [held / grasped] Tarragona, Spain, on Thursday. Peru's Francesco de la Cruz was [crowned / capped] as the very first world champion. His athleticism and [deftly / deftness] saw him fend off a challenge from Germany's Jan Spiess in the final with a 6-2 [victory / victor] .

Gerard Pique got his [inspire / inspiration] for establishing the annual tournament from videos that [went / took] viral on the social media site TikTok. He loved watching clips [at / of] the Arrendondo family from the USA playing the game [during / while] the COVID-19 lockdown. It developed from the family's [living / live] room into a "Keep-Up Balloon League". Pique then intervened and [gave / made] the game global. The World Cup contests took place on an 8m x 8m [spurt / court] , which contained living room furniture as [tentacles / obstacles] . Teams from 32 countries participated. Pique said: "It's been amazing. It's something totally different. Sometimes you have to get [out / about] of your comfort [zone / hone] and try new things." There are hopes it could become an Olympics event.