BETONG: Pickleball in Betong is gaining momentum, with grassroots development being given greater emphasis to bring the sport to more communities.
Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, said the sport had considerable potential for further growth, particularly among communities in villages and longhouses.
He said the Betong Division Pickleball Association should step up its promotional efforts to encourage more residents to take up the sport and become involved in its development.
“This is part of the long-term plan to develop pickleball from the grassroots level, while encouraging community participation in activities that can support social development,” he said when officiating the third edition of the Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu Invitational Pickleball Tournament at Kampung Baru Hulu Betong Community Hall today.
Organised by the Betong Division Pickleball Association in collaboration with SABERKAS Layar Branch, Betong, the two-day tournament is being held from August 30 to 31.
Rentap also welcomed plans to introduce more categories in future editions, including mixed doubles, women’s and schoolchildren’s categories.
Meanwhile, Betong Division Pickleball Association’s President, Mohammad Nizam, said this year’s tournament drew 16 pairs in the open category and 12 pairs in the veteran category.
The response, he said, was encouraging enough for the organisers to limit the number of entries to ensure the tournament could be conducted in an orderly manner.
“This year marks the first time the Betong Division Pickleball Association has organised the tournament independently. For the first and second editions, we worked together with the Kuching Pickleball Association,” he saie.
Nizam said the association also planned to introduce more categories next year as it works towards a more structured development programme for pickleball in Betong.
A school-level pickleball development programme was also started last year to introduce the sport to younger players.
