On October 17, the provincial Department of Tourism, Department of Culture and Sports coordinated with other units to organize the opening of the PPA Tour Australia: Vietnam Open 2024 pickleball tournament, taking place at Carmelina Beach Resort (Ho Tram, Xuyen Moc district) with the participation of high-class players from Vietnam and the world.
This is the first time a high-level tournament like PPA Tour Australia has been held in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, providing an opportunity for domestic players to compete with high-level opponents in the world, helping to evaluate the level of pickleball in Vietnam, which has recently developed.
This tournament has many contents such as professional, open, masters for many ages, from under 16 years old to over 50 years old, in the categories of men's singles; women's singles, men's doubles; women's singles; mixed doubles.
Through the registration system, 254 players have participated in the tournament. Among them, there are many strong Vietnamese players such as Huynh Chi Khuong, Nguyen Anh Thang, Trinh Linh Giang or Truong Vinh Hien competing with strong opponents from Australia, the US, New Zealand... Notably, Vietnam's number 1 tennis player Ly Hoang Nam also participated in the qualifying round of the tournament, even after only a short training period.
Mr. Adam Thompson - CEO of MLP Australia and PPA Tour Australia - said that the hospitality in Vietnam helps athletes in particular and the pickleball community in general have positive feelings.
"The successful organization of the pickleball tournament would not have been possible without the great support from local authorities and businesses. We would like to thank the units and partners from Vietnam," said Mr. Adam Thompson.
According to Ms. Sange Carter - Commissioner of MLP Australia Federation and PPA Tour Australia: "We are looking forward to seeing the best players in the world compete in the coming days. This is not only a competitive event, but also an opportunity to connect, build community and spread passion for this sport".
Representing Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Mr. Trinh Hang - Director of Department of Tourism - said that the tournament was held in a large-scale invested stadium cluster, meeting the standards for international tournaments.
"Through the tournament, we will affirm and contribute to the socio-economic development of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province in general and Xuyen Moc district in particular. At the same time, we will promote the image of the locality to international tourists, contributing to diversifying the potential and developing the local tourism industry sustainably, becoming a pillar economic sector of the province," said Mr. Hang.
