Vietnam's Largest Pickleball Tournament - VTV Times Pickleball (VVP Tour) 2024 Kicks off

The press conference.

The VTV Times Pickleball (VVP Tour) tournament will take place at the Culture, Information, Sports, and Tourism Center of Cau Giay District, Hanoi, the 22nd and 23rd  of June . According to the Organizing Committee (OC), some events have seen a significant number of registrations, exceeding the OC's initial estimates  and promising to be the largest pickleball tournament ever held in Vietnam.

Ms. Vu Thanh Thuy, Editor-in-Chief of VTV Times, representing the OC, said: "Pickleball is a unique but easily accessible sport. We have seen  many enthusiastic players taking part, and it only takes about 8-10 sessions to play well. The organizing committee sees this as a sport suitable for different groups, regardless of gender or age. Therefore, we hope to organize a grassroots tournament that can provide a playground for many newcomers to pickleball in Vietnam".

Meanwhile, pickleball athlete Duy Anh said: "I used to play badminton and table tennis, and when I switched to pickleball, I found this sport not too difficult. It is a competitive sport, not to mention the fashion and health  factors. This helps   create a growing pickleball  community in Vietnam".

Athletes in each event are divided into multiple groups and play  a round-robin tournament to determine the top two players from each group to advance to the knockout stage. Round-robin matches are  played to 1 set to 11 points, while knockout matches are  played to 1 set to 15 points. In the finals, athletes play 3 sets, with the winner being the first to win 2 sets to 11 points.

Pickleball originated on Bainbridge Island, Washington (USA), and has undergone 59 years of development. It is a sport combining elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis and is suitable for people who are agile and can move in small spaces. This sport was introduced in  Vietnam in 2018 and is undergoing fast development in 2024.