SIBU: The Malaysia Pickleball Association aims to broaden their outreach by securing its place in major sporting events such as Sukan Sarawak (SUKSAR) and Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA).
According to its president, Farrell Choo Kah Thiam, discussions have been held with the Sarawak Sport Corporation (SSC) on these matters.
“We had spoken to the SSC about how to introduce the sport (pickleball) to Sukan Sarawak (SUKSAR) and we received a very positive response. In two or three days, we will meet with them to see how we can move forward,” he said during his speech at the grand opening of the I Play Swan Squad Pickleball Club (IPSS) pickleball courts at the Island Club Sibu today (April 21).
Meanwhile, Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng Jin Ek said that to achieve the Malaysia Pickleball Association’s goals, a lot of local professional athletes and trainers are needed.
Chieng said that recruiting more players, trainers, and referees would be the responsibility of the local associations, especially in the town, to further promote the sport.
“When we can get more trainers, the certified trainers and also the referees, we can promote this game to schools, the public, and NGOs. When we have certified referees, we can organise quality tournaments; we can host international or even national tournaments, because we don’t want to import too many referees or trainers, which would increase our costs,” he said.
Also present were the president of the Sarawak Pickleball Association, Delima Ibrahim and the president of I Play Swan Squad Pickleball Club, Dr. Wong Chya Wei.
