KUCHING: Sarawak has expressed its support for the inclusion of pickleball as a medal sport event in the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA).
Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that if pickleball were to be included and organised in Selangor, Sarawak would welcome it.
“Pickleball is very popular in Sarawak, and I believe if it’s included, there’s a strong chance that Sarawak will be able to make it to the podium,” he said in a press conference at the Baitulmakmur Building II today.
However, Abdul Karim pointed out that, as with any sport held at the Games, there must be a minimum of six states participating for it to be adopted.
“For any new sport, such as pickleball, which has never been in SUKMA, Selangor can always present the proposal to the national committee.
“They want to introduce this sport, but if fewer than six states are willing to send athletes, it will not become a reality,” he explained.
Following this, Abdul Karim mentioned that if pickleball were to be included in the Games, there would need to be efforts to market the sport to other states.
“Within the next year, we need to build up pickleball courts and increase participation. This is how things get done,” he added.
Recently, Selangor’s Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the state plans to introduce the increasingly popular sport of pickleball as a medal event at the 2026 SUKMA.
For the record, pickleball, created in 1965, is a sport where two (singles) or four players (doubles) use paddles to hit a plastic ball over a net.
The ball bounces less and moves slower than a tennis ball.
