Pickleball’s march through Cebu has reached the classrooms—or at least the school gyms.
The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) has officially added pickleball to its roster of competitive sports for the upcoming season, making it the latest interscholastic body in the Philippines to formalise the sport within an established academic athletic programme. Cesafi commissioner Felix “Boy” Tiukinhoy confirmed the inclusion on the sidelines of last week’s FIBA Women’s Asia Cup logo unveiling, though he was candid that the finer details are still being worked out.
“Wala pa ta naka han-ay sa tanan, but we already decided nga we will have a pickleball,” Tiukinhoy said. “Ang wala pa na decided is kung college lang ni, men’s ba ni, women’s or mixed ba. But definitely, college lang ni.”
So pickleball is in. The format, the venue, and the competition categories are still being finalised—but the decision itself is done. It joins a Cesafi sporting calendar that already includes basketball, volleyball, athletics, badminton, beach volleyball, chess, dancesport, football, futsal, karatedo, lawn tennis, swimming, table tennis, and taekwondo. The list has always been comprehensive. Pickleball makes it more current.
The addition is not surprising given the sport’s trajectory in Cebu specifically. The city has seen a rapid expansion of courts and tournaments, with the Cebu Pickleball Open 2026 held in late June and Cebu City councillors pushing for publicly funded courts at the South Road Properties. Pickleball has been growing across the Philippines, but Cebu has been one of its most enthusiastic adopters—and the Cesafi inclusion gives that grassroots energy an institutional anchor within the student-athlete community.
Cesafi is also introducing petanque as a demonstration sport this season. The French precision game—which bears a family resemblance to marbles but operates with its own distinct strategy and mechanics—has been building a quiet following in Cebu over recent years. Its inclusion as a demo event gives it a platform to prove whether it belongs as a full competitive discipline in future seasons.
Beyond the new sports, the league is also expanding on other fronts. Cesafi has confirmed the inclusion of a women’s division as a regular category in the Cesafi Esports League, covering both Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Valorant. Two new basketball programmes are also joining the fold—the San Roque College de Cebu Greyhounds in the high school division and the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Webmasters in the men’s collegiate division.
The expansion is consistent with what Cesafi has always tried to do: broaden access, create more competitive opportunities for student-athletes, and keep the league’s sporting calendar reflective of what is actually happening in the communities it serves.
Pickleball is happening in Cebu. Cesafi has taken notice.
