By Karen Bong
KUCHING, April 4: Sarawak is about to make history by hosting the largest pickleball tournament in Malaysia and Borneo this October, with a prize pool of RM20,000 apart from medals and trophy.
The Borneo Pickleball International Tournament is scheduled to be held in Kuching from Oct 9 to 12 with an expected participation of approximately 500 players and 2,000 visitors from across the region. The venue will be disclosed at a later date.
Kuching Pickleball Association (KPA) is the main tournament organiser, while BESarawak acts as the exclusive strategic advisor and provides in-kind support to the Association in creating a sustainable and gold-standard international event.
Announcing the tournament today, Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah emphasised the significance of the international tournament for Sarawak in bolstering its profile as a sports and sports tourism destination.
“As the host of Sukma 2024, Sarawak is already in the spotlight; the International Pickleball Tournament is another strategic opportunity to showcase Sarawak’s ability to host global sporting events and boost our reputation as a sports tourism destination.
Abdul Karim also expressed confidence in the potential of pickleball, which is gaining popularity in Malaysia, to be incorporated into future sporting events such as Suksar (Sarawak Games), Sukma, and Sea Games.
“It is similar to the development of Muay Thai and I am sure pickleball will follow suit, once there is significant interest among the people,” he added.
BESarawak chairman Dato Sri Abang Abdul Karim Tun Openg highlighted that this tournament can be a recurring event and transformed into a potential legacy for the pickleball community and Sarawak’s sports tourism.
Additionally, he pointed out that the tournament’s outreach goes beyond the competition itself as the KPA is partnering with BESarawak to include the ‘Books Build Legacy’ corporate social responsibility programme with a target of 2,000 book donations in aid of Sarawak’s rural schools.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Sebastian Ting, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Development Dato Gerald Rentap Jabu, and BE Sarawak CEO Amelia Roziman were present.
The tournament will feature three categories. The Open (Team) category features five sub-categories – Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Veteran Doubles and Men’s Singles. The registraton fee is RM1,200 per team.
The Women’s Single Category will be open for a maximum of 24 players with a registration fee of RM100 per player.
In the Novice Category, it will be open to a maximum of 24 pairs with registration fee of RM50 per pair.
The tournament is endorsed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Malaysia Pickleball Asssociation and Sarawak Pickleball Association, with Sarawak Tourism Board as promotion partner.
Teams and individuals wishing to join must register for a Pickleball Global ID here.
ID registration is free and accumulated points at the #BorneoPickleball International Tournament can be utilised for global tournaments.
Registration for the tournament closes on Aug 31, 2024.
For regular tournament updates, visit BESarawak’s Facebook page (@BESarawak). For more information on the tournament and registration, contact Ruslan Bujang at 019-888-8160. — DayakDaily
