PICKLEBALL, considered the fastest-growing sport in the US and in other parts of the world the last five years, expects to pick up steam in the local sporting front with Ayala Malls giving it a boost through clinics and tournaments in its malls.
“We feel it’s a unique sport that can bring lots of different types of people together and in my eyes, this fits perfectly into what we want Ayala Malls to be – a place where everybody is welcome and at home,” said Mariana Zobel de Ayala of Ayala Malls.
READ: Pickleball can now be played in some Ayala malls
No less than Mariana’s father Jaime, mother Lizzy, and brother Jaime Alfonso led the launch of the event at the Greenbelt Fashion Walk in Makati City on Friday through an exhibition game before a crowd of mall goers.
To help promote the racket sport, courts will be set up at various Ayala Malls aside from the one currently placed at Market! Market! at BGC (Bonifacio Global City). Clinics will also be conducted starting Saturday.
Others who graced the event launch were Philippine Pickleball Federation president Armando Tantoco and Toby Claudio of Toby’s Sports, the country’s largest sporting goods retailer and one of the main supporters of Pickleball.
“We started (in 2016) when Sara Ashley, one of the top pickleball players who had migrated to the US, introduced it to us badminton players,” said Tantoco, whose federation, established four years ago, is a full member of the International Federation of Pickleball.
“If somebody like Sara can excel in the sport and she’s not even five feet tall and excels in it, why can’t we all,” said Tantoco.
Claudio, for his part, said they have come out with a pickleball line that includes paddles, pickleballs, bags and other merchandise.
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