Pickleball was introduced in Nepal by a few enthusiasts of the game in 2019. The Pickleball Association of Nepal is the principle governing body of pickleball in the South Asian country. It was officially established in 2022. The association is also the primary organizing body of the country’s biggest pickleball tournament, the Nepal Open. It is co-organised with the Nepal Super League.
The Nepal Open International event has seen participants from 16 different countries. A total of 120 players have participated in the event hailing from UK, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Spain, China, and USA. The tournament is held at Nepal’s National Sports Centre in Satdobato, which has 12 match courts and 4 courts for practice.
The featured events are categorised based on four age groups and three skill levels. The four age groups are 19+, 35+, 50+, and 60+. The three skill levels, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 represent amateur, intermediate, and advanced respectively. Across all four age groups and each skill levels category, the various events held are men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. In each category, winners are awarded a gold, silver, and bronze medal.
The inception of this event strengthens Nepal’s case towards becoming a member of the Global Pickleball Federation. This can benefit players and give better recognition for professional pickleball players. As a National tournament, the Nepal Open has a large potential to offer ranking points to the participating players. All updates of the tournament are maintained by Pickleball Global.
