Hannah Yeoh, the Minister of Youth and Sports, says that she is just impressed with the way the pastime sport pickleball has picked up in Malaysia and even more amazed with the way it has helped Malaysians to be healthier.
"It is amazing. There are so many people who are into this game these days. But I really do believe it is a fantastic way to get fit and helps Malaysians to be healthier," said Hannah at the One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya after officiating at the 2025 Asia Pickleball Summit.
"It's fantastic too that a lot of people that I know are also into this game, and this includes my own family members. My sister does not play many sports, but now she is into this game and she's like plays it almost every day.
"That's amazing, you know. Even a friend told me that he lost 10kg because he started to play the game. It's just wonderful that many people are playing the game. I foresee an excellent future for this game."
Hannah also added that the pastime may soon the game go real top class and even be competed in the Olympics.
"The game is getting big globally. I also read that there are many associations in the world that are pushing it into the mainstream. Maybe, one day it will be competed in the Olympics too, I do believe Malaysia must be ready for it, and maybe we can have a good player here," added Hannah.
"We even heard that Selangor is going big in the game and hopes to hold international events here. As usual, the ministry will always have good programmes.
"As I see it, pickleball is growing rapidly here in Malaysia, from community courts and school programmes to social activities and public events,” Hannah said. "It is good to see a state having big plans for this game.
"This excellent pastime is also simple to start, thrilling to play, and most importantly, it brings people together.”
For the record, the venue in PJ is also hosting the World Pickleball Championship (WPC) Asian Grand Slam, the event is being held in Malaysia for the first time, besides hosting the 2025 Asia Pickleball Summit.
Delima Ibrahim, the acting president of the Malaysian Pickleball Association, added that Malaysia have a large pool of players already.
"According to our latest record, there are almost 150,000 active players in Malaysia. This is an incredible feat for such a new sport. The association also aims to have its own ranking system soon. This will help Malaysians know their standards and also help them during tournaments.
"We will stage a Malaysian Open later this year where international players can also take part in the tournament. At the same time, a Malaysian Closed will also be held only for our players, which will help the rankings programme," said Delima.
"We also have plans to introduce the game in the grassroots level. There are exciting time ahead for this game."
For the record, pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction.
Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.
Aspects of the sport resemble tennis and table tennis played on a doubles badminton court, but pickleball has specific scoring rules, paddles, balls and court lines.
The game has been picking up frantic space in Malaysia and also South-East Asia. In Malaysia, the game can now be seen in almost every other major car parks and also many tennis courts and badminton courts have been changed to pickleball courts due to its immense popularity.
In Singapore, bookings for pickleball courts need to be made as early as a week ahead of the planned play. Even Malaysians are trying to play the game in Singapore to test out its courts. The game has also made its way to Laos and Cambodia and is also well-known in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The amazing thing about the game is that it is very affordable for Malaysians to pick up the pastime. Most courts charge around RM60 per court, and it is equipped for four people to play the game.
On top of that, many of the host/owners of the venue also offer the bats and ball to play the game for free (meaning it is probably RM15 per person to take up the sport for an hour.)
"It is also a fun, fun game," said Delima. "That is an important aspect for many of us. Having fun and staying healthy, it's a perfect combination."
In another development, the federal government remains firm in its decision to lower the youth age limit to 30 years, effective Jan 1, 2026, in line with amendments passed by Parliament in 2019, said Hannah.
However, she said organisations like Sarawak's main youth body, Pertubuhan Belia Kebangsaan Bersatu Sarawak (SABERKAS), are exempted from the ruling because they are registered under the Registrar of Societies (RoS), not the Registrar of Youth Organisations (ROY).
"With regard to the youth age limit, the government has already made a decision -- Parliament passed the law in 2019. It has since been postponed twice, which means we are now in the third grace period.
"Sarawak has its own youth organisation, SABERKAS, which is registered under the RoS and not under ROY. So they don’t need to follow (the federal decision). RoS has no age limit,” she told reporters after officiating at the 2025 Asia Pickleball Summit here today.
Hannah stressed that the amendment to set the youth age limit at 30 is a step in line with global trends, which are increasingly focused on the younger generation.
Sarawak’s Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah had previously stated that Sarawak has the authority to determine the youth age limit at the state level.
He said the state intends to maintain its youth age range of 15 to 40 years.
