Vietnam will host the World Pickleball Championship Series – Asia Pacific on April 3-9. (Photo: WPC) The WPC Series - Asia Pacific consists of 12tournaments, each held in a different country. The event in Vietnam marks thesecond stop in Asia, with eight more scheduled in Asia and four inAustralia, leading up to the WPC finals.
The tournament in Vietnam will feature 300athletes, including 220 foreign players, who will compete in the men's andwomen's singles, men's and women's doubles, as well as mixed doublescategories. The competition will also feature divisions based on age groups toaccommodate the athletes' physical condition.
Vietnam will have several representatives in theprofessional category, including tennis veteran Trinh Linh Giang.
Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport playedwith two players (singles) or four players (doubles). Participants use paddlesto hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net untilone side fails to return the ball or commits a rule infraction.
Pickleball gained popularity in the PacificNorthwest region of the US between 1965 and 2020, and has since grown inpopularity across the country. In fact, the sport was recognised as thefastest-growing sport in the US in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with an estimated 4.8million players by 2023.
Introduced to Vietnam in 2018, pickleball hasexperienced significant growth in recent years, with approximately 25pickleball clubs now established throughout the country.
Luu Thuy Dung, a member of the organising committee,expressed her commitment to ensuring the successful organisation of thisprestigious tournament, with the aim of promoting the growth of pickleball in Vietnam.
“I hope that this tournament will serve as aturning point for the development of the sport not only in Vietnam but alsoaround the world,” Dung said.
The final event of the WPC Series - Asia Pacificwill also be held in Vietnam in January 2025./.
VNA
