Singapore pickleball debut draws more than 1,000 players
Summary by Coachino Daily Digest · Original reporting by Pickleball News Asia
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More than 1,000 players competed in Singapore’s inaugural OCBC-Great Eastern Pickleball Open, which concluded at OCBC Arena on 25 October 2026. Participants ranged from 13 to 75, with entrants travelling from Australia, India and Thailand.
Christopher Encarnacion and Ralph Kevin Barte secured the Open title, defeating Charles Yong and Ng Ka Wei 15-10, 15-14. Beyond the finals, 10 beneficiaries of Care Corner Seniors Services entered the Novice category after taking part in a free training programme, connecting community coaching with tournament participation.
Coachino Insight
For clubs and coaches, the event offers a concrete example of introductory training leading to competition, with senior programme participants joining an age-diverse tournament field.
Support for pickleball courts far outweighs opposition among speakers taking a position at U.S. local government meetings, according to Hamlet. The public-meeting analysis firm counted 1,152 supporters and 89 opponents in meetings across 468 cities and towns since Oct. 19, 2024, with support leading in 436.
Fresno, Riverside and Maricopa were among places with many supportive speakers, while Port St. Lucie and Tampa had more opponents. The findings offer a wider view than coverage centered on noise complaints and neighborhood disputes.
Coachino Insight
For clubs pursuing courts, the findings document strong support among meeting speakers, not a survey of residents. Local differences remain important when discussing facilities with councils.
BIBD and Baiduri Bank brought 32 participants to a pickleball friendly at PGGMB in Bandar Seri Begawan, with 16 representatives from each bank. The gathering gave staff from competing institutions a chance to build relationships away from work through friendly competition.
Organisers highlighted teamwork and sportsmanship, while the report cited pickleball’s accessibility and social appeal as reasons for choosing it. BIBD described the event as part of its commitment to employee well-being, stakeholder engagement and a positive workplace culture.
Coachino Insight
For clubs and workplace organisers, this gathering illustrates pickleball’s role as a setting for employee activity and relationship-building across competing businesses.
The Hanoi hometown club team won a community pickleball tournament held in Vientiane on 25 October, with Nghe An finishing second and Ha Tinh and Ho Chi Minh City sharing third place.
Organised by the Association of Vietnamese People in Vientiane, the event encouraged exercise and closer ties among Vietnamese expatriates in Laos. It marked the lead-up to Vietnam’s Great National Solidarity Day and upcoming congresses of Vietnamese community associations in Vientiane and Laos.
Coachino Insight
The tournament highlights pickleball’s role in community programming, bringing hometown clubs and businesses together around exercise, cultural identity and social connections.
