On the morning of October 9, at 30/6 Park, Thai Binh City, the opening ceremony of the 2024 national club pickleball championship for the Jogarbola Cup - Young Entrepreneurs Thai Binh - An Thai took place.
Attending the opening ceremony were representatives of the Department of Physical Training and Sports and the Ministry Inspectorate of Culture, Sports and Tourism; representatives of Thai Binh province; sponsors and 350 athletes from 61 clubs from different provinces, cities, industries and fields.
According to the Organizing Committee, this is the first tournament held at the national level. Hosting the tournament is an opportunity for Thai Binh and businesses in the province to promote and introduce the land, people and typical products to friends across the country, contributing to promoting the province's economy and tourism, meeting the people's cultural and spiritual enjoyment needs.
At the same time, the organization of the tournament also aims to discover and select excellent athletes for the Vietnamese pickleball team to participate in international competitions in the coming time.
At this tournament, athletes will compete in 2 categories: amateur and professional, each category will be divided into 3 age groups (group 1 under 35 years old, group 2 from 35 - 49 years old, group 3 from 50 years old and above).
In order to prepare for the successful organization of the tournament, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Binh province, in coordination with the Department of Physical Education and Sports, organized a national pickleball referee training course in 2024 from October 5 to 7, thereby selecting qualified referees to participate in officiating the tournament matches.
According to Ms. Dinh Thi Hoan - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Binh, in the past time, implementing the plan to host the tournament, the unit has fully prepared the material facilities to meet the professional requirements of the Department of Physical Education and Sports and is ready to wait for the official matches to take place.
"This is truly an opportunity for pickleball players nationwide to meet, exchange, share and learn from each other's experiences to improve their professional skills, psychology, techniques and tactics, and together promote the development and international integration of Vietnamese pickleball. With the careful preparation of the local Organizing Committee, we believe that the national club championship for the Jogabla Cup - Young Entrepreneurs Thai Binh - An Thai, held for the first time in Thai Binh province, will be a great success. The audience and fans will enjoy many good plays, many beautiful balls, many exciting, attractive and dramatic matches," said Ms. Dinh Thi Hoan.
The tournament takes place from October 9 to 12. Below are images captured by Lao Dong reporters after the opening ceremony on the morning of October 9:
