By Christopher Lidom
KUCHING, Oct 10: Borneo Pickleball International Tournament (BPIT) can be included into Sarawak tourism calendar as a yearly event, says Datuk Snowdan Lawan.
Snowdan, who is Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said the event can become one of Sarawak’s sports tourism products supported by his ministry.
“We will leave it to the association to come up with a good proposal in the future. It probably can become a yearly event with a special budget allocated,” said Snowdan when representing Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at the launching ceremony for Borneo Pickleball International Tournament at the Pikabol complex on Jalan Setia Raja, Pending today.
On the same note, Snowdan said his ministry is committed to collaborating closely with the pickleball community in Malaysia and Sarawak, including Kuching Pickleball Association (KPA) to integrate the sport into future events such as the Borneo Games or Malaysia Games (Sukma).
In fact, he said, they are introducing pickleball games in rural communities in Sarawak, especially among the youth including actively advocating for pickleball in Sarawak or Malaysia.
“We are enthusiastic of the future growth of the Borneo Pickleball International Tournament, and eagerly anticipate the introduction of this new category.
“This initiative will help nurture young talents in the sport which could potentially leading to the emergence of future stars,” he added.
Scheduled to run from Oct 8 to 14 at Asia’s largest pickleball complex, BPIT is organized by KPA in collaboration with Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) and endorsed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts Sarawak, Malaysian Pickleball Association (MPA) and Sarawak Pickleball Association (SPA).
The competition will see the participations of players from Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Thailand and Taiwan, as well as Malaysia, vying for a prize pool totalling RM20,000. – DayakDaily
