Many of the athletes will come from the United States, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea where the pickleball movement is thriving.

At a press conference held on June 6, Tao Viet Hai, deputy director of Quang Nam province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the event would help to promote the sporting movement in the locality and to attract more tourists to the central region.

Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction.

At present pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. According to statistics compiled in 2023, the US alone has more than 4.8 million pickleball players, showing an increase of 14.8% compared to the previous year.

In Vietnam, pickleball was played in 2018 and has since become popular in many provinces and cities nationwide.

According to the Asia Federation of Pickleball, at the 2027 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games taking place in Malaysia pickleball will be included in official competition events.