Margao, May 11 (PTI) The third national ranking pickleball tournament will be organised at the Fartoda Stadium here from May 19 to 21 under the aegis of the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA).
One of the fastest growing sports in the US, pickleball combines elements of tennis, table tennis, and badminton.
It’s a racket/paddle sport involving two players in singles and four players in doubles, who hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 36-inch-high net using solid-faced paddles.
Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction (violation of any of the rules by a player), in which case the pickleball becomes dead and the rally ends.
The previous two editions of the tournament were held at Pune in 2019 and at Dombivli, near Mumbai in 2021.
All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) will conduct the tournament in association with Goa Pickleball Association and Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Goa.
“The three-day tournament will witness over 250 participants from 16 states. The players can choose to compete from 16 different categories like Under-14 and Under-19 men’s, women’s open, 35 plus men, 35 plus women, 50 plus men, and 50 plus women apart from mixed doubles,” a release said.
The tournament will feature players such as Tejas Mahajan, Mayur Patil, Kuldeep Mahajan, Isha Lakhani, Snehal Patil, Vrushali Thakare, and Under-19 champion siblings Arjun and Aditya, Himansh Mehta, Avinash Kumar from Bihar as well as Sonu Kumar Vishwakarma from Dhanbad.
Himanshu Dewaskar, Sandeep Tawde and Ajeet Bharadwaj will be seen in action 35 plus and 50 plus categories.
“We have been getting great response from players who are looking to participate in the National Ranking Tournament. The sport is growing, and we want to make sure that it reaches every nook and corner of India,” said AIPA president Arvind Prabhoo.
The sport was was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game on Bainbridge Island, Washington and was adopted as the official state sport of Washington last year.
Source: PTI News
