KUCHING: Toyota has chosen Sarawak to launch its inaugural Malaysia Pickle Tour 2026 in recognition of the state’s place in the sport’s local history, with organisers saying pickleball first took root in Miri before spreading across the country.
UMW Toyota Marketing Group’s General Manager, Nicky Lim, said the company deliberately launched the inaugural nationwide series in Sarawak after learning that the sport first gained a foothold in the state.
“Historically in Malaysia, the first state that had pickleball is actually Sarawak. We thought that we owe it to the people of Sarawak to organise our first national tour here,” he said when met by Sarawak Tribune reporters during the tournament at Star Pickleball Malaysia today.
The decision was met with strong local response, with the Kuching leg attracting close to 200 participants despite limited tournament capacity, while organisers expect more than 1,000 players to take part across all five stops this year.
Unlike conventional tournaments where players register with their own partners, Toyota’s Malaysia Pickle Tour adopts a team-based format that groups individual participants together, placing greater emphasis on teamwork and bringing players together through the sport.
“We are about community-building. When you sign up, we match you with seven different players as a team. There’s no individual prize. It’s a team prize,” Lim said.
He said the tournament has two key objectives, namely expanding Malaysia’s pickleball player base while creating more opportunities for juniors through grassroots development.
“We are heavily invested at the grassroots level because we want to see the juniors come through the system,” he said.
Lim added that Malaysia is now among Asia’s fastest growing pickleball markets, with the sport encouraging more people to lead active lifestyles and connect through recreation.
Besides tournament matches, the two-day event at Star Pickleball Malaysia also features open play sessions and beginner clinics, allowing newcomers and families to experience the sport in a more relaxed setting.
After the opening leg in Kuching, the nationwide series will continue in Kota Kinabalu before heading to Johor Bahru, George Town and Subang Jaya, offering a total prize pool of RM175,000.
