Sixty per cent development in a single yr. Sabah’s girls’s pickleball neighborhood is just not quietly rising. It’s surging.
The Ladies’s Pickleball Championship 2026 wrapped up on 12 July after two days of doubles competitors at Kota Kinabalu, drawing 160 gamers representing 80 groups from throughout Sabah—up from 50 groups eventually yr’s inaugural version. Gamers made the journey from Tawau, Keningau, Kota Belud, and Kudat to compete, reflecting the game’s attain effectively past the state capital.
The match was collectively organised by Bounce Pickleball Membership and DPPC Women, and formally opened by Datin Noriah Pangeran Ahmad, spouse of the State Training, Science, Expertise and Innovation Minister, representing the spouse of the Chief Minister.
Nur Zahiera Putri Ismail, organising chairperson and Bounce Pickleball Membership president, was candid about what the participation numbers imply—and what they are saying about the place the game is headed amongst girls in Sabah.
“Participation elevated from 50 groups throughout final yr’s inaugural match to 80 groups this yr,” she stated, “reflecting rising curiosity in pickleball amongst girls in Sabah.”
The championship featured three classes—Novice, Intermediate, and Veteran—with the Veteran division launched this yr particularly for gamers aged 40 and above. That addition is important. Pickleball has at all times attracted older gamers for good purpose: the compact court docket, the decrease bodily demand relative to tennis, and the social nature of doubles play make it significantly well-suited to athletes who need to compete with out the bodily toll of extra demanding racket sports activities. Making a devoted aggressive pathway for girls 40 and above acknowledges that demographic and provides it one thing to play for.
The overall prize pool throughout the three classes stood at RM30,000, which is a significant determine for a regional girls’s match that solely held its inaugural version twelve months in the past.
From 50 groups to 80. From one state hub to 5 cities represented. From a first-time occasion to a rising fixture on Sabah’s sporting calendar. The Ladies’s Pickleball Championship is constructing one thing actual, and the game behind it’s clearly carrying it ahead.
