KUALA LUMPUR: It is still too early to determine if pickleball will be included as a medal sport in the 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma), says Hannah Yeoh.
The Youth and Sports Minister said that a sport must have participation from at least six states to be included in the games.
She added that for any sport to be included in Sukma, an appeal or application would be submitted, after which the games committee reviews and votes on it.
“I know that Selangor has announced it, but the Sukma committee will determine later.
“For an event to remain in the games, it must have the support of at least six states," she said after launching a “Jom Pickleball” event in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (Feb 5).
“Right now it is still too early to determine whether it will be included in the 2026 games,” she said.
A game could be dropped if there were not enough votes closer to the date, Yeoh said.
“Of course, there are many complaints because some states have invested time and effort to train the athletes.
“This always happens to women’s sports because the states are not investing enough in that game,” she said.
In November last year, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the state intended to introduce pickleball as a medal sport in Sukma 2026.
He had said that the state aimed to be the first state to organise the sport of pickleball when it hosts Sukma 2026 he was quoted saying during the tabling of the 2025 Selangor Budget.
Meanwhile, during the event, Yeoh announced that pickleball courts can now be rented at public community halls and multipurpose halls in Kuala Lumpur at affordable rates.
