Snowdan: Balai Ringin mini-stadium to be equipped with pickleball court

KUCHING (Oct 14): The mini-stadium in Balai Ringin will be equipped with a pickleball court.

This was announced by its assemblyman Datuk Snowdan Lawan who said the initiative is aimed at introducing the sport to the rural community, especially the youth.

“Pickleball is a popular and trending sport today and it can be played by people of all ages. Efforts to promote pickleball should not only be focused in the city but across the state, including rural areas.

“I will make sure there will be a pickleball court in my newly completed mini-stadium to introduce this game to the rural people, particularly the youth,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Borneo Pickleball International Tournament (BPIT) held at Pikabol here yesterday.

The tournament attracted about 500 local and foreign players.

“I’ve also been informed that the organisers have agreed to host the tournament again in 2026 on a much larger scale and we hope to see more countries participating, possibly from as far as the United States or Canada.

“This will be great for our tourism sector as well, this is what we call sports tourism, and that is why our Ministry fully supports the organisation of future events on a bigger scale, and we hope that interest in this sport continues to grow,” said Snowdan who is Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative lndustry and Performing Arts .

He also highlighted the attraction of the competition venue.

“One of the key attractions we have is that the pickleball court here is the largest in Asia. It’s a dedicated indoor court unlike some others that are converted from badminton or tennis courts. This dedicated facility is one of our strengths and a strong point in promoting this venue,” he added.

BPIT 2024 was organised by Kuching Pickleball Association (KPA) in collaboration with Business Event Sarawak (BE SARAWAK) and supported 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).