MPA’s Delima Ibrahim Dismisses Controversies as Nonsense Drama, Vows to Keep Fighting for Pickleball’s ‘Sense of Community’

Malaysia Pickleball Association President Delima Ibrahim has taken to social media to respond to the issues hounding the association, notably dismissing it as “drama” and “nonsense” while also vowing to fight for the sport’s sense of community.

“Apparently, the Malaysia Pickleball Association (MPA) is the hottest place to be these days. Who would have guessed that a group of volunteers—retired, with day jobs, aching knees, and a passion for a sport involving plastic balls could generate this much drama?” Delima asked rhetorically to begin her post, shared in the 68,000-strong Pickleball Malaysia Community on Wednesday. “According to the internet, we are at the centre of a national scandal. Power struggles! Secret letters! Rogue WhatsApp groups! Honestly, if Netflix had a show called “Pickleball Politics: The Rally No One Asked For” . . . we would be trending!”

(Read about the controversies hounding the MPA in this SPECIAL FEATURE.)

Delima then stressed that “nobody here is getting paid” and that the MPA’s brass are all volunteers who run the risk of losing their “unpaid jobs.” She claimed they “didn’t sign up for fame or infamy—just a sense of community” and vowed to keep fighting for it amidst all the issues the association is facing.

“Pickleball used to be fun—a place where retirees, school teachers, and accountants came together to sweat, laugh, and argue about whether a serve was legal or your feet were on the Kitchen line. Now it feels like a Game of Thrones remake—just with more knee braces and less swordplay,” Delima wrote. “Everyone used to shout ‘Nice shot!’ across the net. These days it’s ‘See you in the disciplinary hearing!’”

The MPA President ended with fighting words, saying that “the MPA is on fire” while hoping said fire will “burn away the nonsense and leave behind what truly matters.”

“Still, beneath the chaos, most of us love this sport too much to walk away. We didn’t sign up for fame or infamy—just a sense of community. And yes, we’ll keep fighting for that, even if it means surviving another round of fake Facebook accounts and mysterious ‘sources close to the matter,’” Delima further wrote. “So yes, the MPA is on fire. But you know what? Fire purifies. Maybe this mess will burn away the nonsense and leave behind what really matters—people who actually want to play, volunteer, and build something together. Until then, bring your paddles and your popcorn. It’s going to be one hell of a rally.”

(Read Delima’s post in full below.)