Players and organising board members at the launch of the Say2 Ladies Pickleball Grand Prix. The tournament will be held on November 30-December 1 in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

HÀ NỘI — The first ever amateur-professional pickleball tournament for women only – Say2 Ladies Pickleball Grand Prix – has been launched on November 19 in Hà Nội.

The tournament is an initiative and a jointly organised event by the Việt Nam Sport Solution Joint Stock Company (VSSG), Việt Nam Olympic Committee's Women and Sports Department, the Sports Authority of Việt Nam and Vietfootball.

Sponsored by Say2, a pioneering digital platform which provides data solutions to businesses, the tournament will see about 200 players competing in four doubles categories- novices, amateur athletes under-35, amateurs over-35 and an open pool for professionals. 

Among the famous participants will be Việt Nam Golden Ball holder Đỗ Thị Ngọc Châm, former national striker Nguyễn Thị Minh Nguyệt, former national volleyball captain Phạm Thị Kim Huệ and actresses such as Thu Quỳnh, Hà Hương and Thu Hương.

The highest-ranking players will walk away from the tournament, being held from November 30 to December 1, with bonuses in cash and gifts worth more than VNĐ200 million (US$7,900).

In addition to the main prizes, the organisers will also present the Miss Pickleball and Impression awards, which aim to celebrate the spirit of confidence, self-love and women's beauty of the competitors.

"Pickleball is a sport combining tennis, table tennis and badminton. Since its first days in Việt Nam, it has attracted the attention of many people because of its friendliness," said Vũ Quỳnh Hương, representative of the organising board.

"While other sports need a lot of time to practise before taking part in competition, people need only from 10-15 sessions to play pickleball at a basic level. This sport also easy for children, women, and older people too to play.

"Currently the number of people playing pickleball in Việt Nam is huge. Our players not only play for their health, but are also winning remarkable results in the world competitions," said Hương.

Meanwhile head of the organising board Cao Thu Vân said: "The message of the tournament is 'Beauty', which is definitely a strong point of the women. 

Head of the organising board Cao Thu Vân speaks at the launching ceremony. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

"The event aims to honour women's beauty in life and in sport. It is an opportunity for them to show off their sporting talent and personality to a wider community.

"We hope that the first tournament will be a success in both terms of expertise and spreading our message. It will be a motivation for the other tournaments in other cities and provinces in the future," Vân said. VNS