Ellron backs effort to find a home for Sabah pickleball
Published on: Monday, June 24, 2024
By: Jinni Juanis
(From left) Youth and Sports Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Mansur Asun, Ellron, Julitah, Robert, Penny and Lawrence.
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Ellron Angin expressed his support for the Sabah Pickleball Association (Sapa) initiative to build a venue for the sport in the State.
Sapa Vice President Ar Robert JH Chiang said the organisation’s courtesy call on the Minister last week saw fruition to their effort as they made significant step forward to make pickleball as a new and interesting sport for people who are looking for a healthy and active lifestyle.
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“Sapa made a significant leap forward on June 12 last week with a successful courtesy call on Datuk Ellron Angin,” he said in a statement while adding that the Minister has initially promised to provide assistance.
The Sapa delegation was led by its President, Julitah Akabal who introduced pickleball to the Ministry and explored opportunities for further collaboration.
Robert said the discussion with the Minister was focused on the potential of utilising the abandoned tennis central court at Likas Sports Complex and turning it into a pickleball court.
This first move to obtain the court was one of the Sapa’s primary goals for the visit in order to secure a permanent avenue for the sport.
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Despite the absence of pickleball courts in Sabah, Sapa have made remarkable strides in promoting the sport rapidly and achieving success with the organising of several competitions. A pickleball competition was held recently in Miri, Sarawak.
The next major event on the pickleball calendar is the Borneo International Pickleball Tournament, scheduled to be held in Kuching in October, this year.
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“While Datuk Ellron has expressed his support for Sapa’s initiative, he also advised the association to liaise with the Sabah Sports Board (LSS) in regard with the lease agreement for the court.
“All these while, Sapa have to independently seek investors or sponsors to cover any renovation costs associated with the central court at the Likas Sports Complex. We will definitely approach the LSS,” said Robert.
Sapa also sought the Ministry’s assistance with the acquisition of a grant funding for pickleball equipment that includes paddles, balls, and portable nets.
On another note, while Ellron acknowledged the funding limitations of the endeavour at present, he did express his enthusiasm for the sport’s potential.
“The Minister himself shared that he had briefly tried pickleball and found it enjoyable.
He also expressed his interest in learning more about the sport and the Sapa president readily extended an invitation for him to participate in a future game.
Meanwhile, Julitah expressed her satisfaction with the productive meeting. She highlighted her commitment to working with LSS to secure the central court and establish a permanent base for pickleball in Sabah.
The positive reception from the Ministry and Ellron’s personal interest in the sport bode well for the future of pickleball in Sabah, she said.
She is confident that pickleball will receive positive support from all walks of life. The sport has already been added into the school curriculum making it easier for Sapa to approach the schools to promote the sport.
“From the schools we can harness talented young players and groom them to represent Sabah in the sport in future.
“We have arranged to have pickleball lessons to be taught among the teachers so that the can in turn impart their knowledge on the sport among students during PE class,” she said previously.
Robert accompanied Julitah together with Treasurer Penny Lai, Committee Member Daron Mohd Shafiz, Beatrice Wang and Lawrence Singh in that meeting.
Pickleball now is considered to be the fastest growing sport in Sabah. The game started about three years ago and initially several competitions were initiated among its members to kickstart the game’s interest.
It is a combination of tennis and ping-pong with a bit of squash skills. Pickleball requires a racket or paddle where in which two player or four (doubles) hit a hollow ball to determine the winner.
Players are pitted against each other until one side conceded to being unable to return the ball which will then determines the winners. It is similar to tennis but the difference is that pickleball is played on a smaller court.
Pickleball is a sport with short learning curves. Racquet players can easily start and play the sport after one or two hours of lessons. It’s doesn’t require strenuous jumping, hard smashing and hectic running.
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