Borneo International Pickleball Open 2026: Sabah Rolls Out Its Biggest Pickleball Weekend Yet
Kota Kinabalu is about to host something rather bigger than another weekend tournament. The Borneo International Pickleball Open 2026 lands from 16 to 18 October with more than RM30,000 in cash prizes on offer, alongside trophies and goodies for a field already drawing competitors from across the globe.
Organising Chairperson Datin Elaine Fong Yee Ling confirmed the tournament is being run by Borneo Kelab Rekreasi Pickleball, sanctioned by the Sabah Pickleball Association, with The Good Club serving as official venue partner. Backing comes from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment along with Explore Sabah, giving the event genuine institutional weight behind its ambitions. The opening ceremony kicks off at 10am on 16 October at The Good Club in Tanjung Aru.
Seven Divisions, Real Money on the Line
The tournament splits into seven competitive categories across three tiers. At the top sits Open Mixed Doubles, with RM5,000 for the champions, RM2,500 for runners-up, and RM1,200 for third place. The Intermediate tier covers Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, each offering RM2,800 for the winners, RM1,400 for second, and RM700 for third. The Novice divisions, spanning the same three doubles formats, pay out RM1,200 for champions, RM600 for runners-up, and RM300 for third-placed pairs. Whatever a player’s level, there’s a genuine prize waiting at the end of it.
Every winner also takes home something considerably more distinctive than a standard trophy. Each one features Borneo’s proboscis monkey, a nod to Sabah’s most recognisable wildlife, with members of the local community pitching in to help colour the trophies by hand.
More Than Just a Tournament
Fong was candid about the dual purpose behind the event. “We are killing two birds with one stone,” she said in a statement released Wednesday. “With the help of international competitions like the Borneo International Pickleball Open 2026, we are not only promoting healthy sports development but also boosting Sabah’s tourism growth by getting first-time visitors from other parts of the world to set foot in the State.”
The numbers back up that ambition rather convincingly. A total of 536 players are expected to compete, arriving from Japan, the United States, Singapore, Vietnam, China, and Brunei, turning what could have been a modest regional fixture into a genuinely international gathering.
Organisers haven’t stopped at athletes, either. Twenty-six selected influencers and sports and entertainment personalities from Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan have been invited to take part, a deliberate move Fong explained was about reach as much as participation. The goal, she said, is exposing Sabah to a wider global audience, “so that through their sharing, more international audiences will get to know about this Land Below The Wind which is rated as not only an ideal tourist destination, but also a place suitable for international sports events.” Among the names joining are Protech ambassadors Perry Kuan and Chan Peng Soon, Hong Kong actor and sports personality Hugo Wong, Hong Kong sports creator Samantha Wong, and Miss International Macau 2016 Sulin Ip.
Registration closed on 3 October after it was extended for a couple of days due to demand. Now, what’s left is for the tournament to unfurl over the weekend.
(Before the actual tournament, participants are encouraged to attend a complimentary court testing scheduled on 7 October.)
