Pickleball is developing rapidly in the United States, and Taiwan is catching up. Chinese pickleball players in Los Angeles and Taiwan have begun to work together to promote pickleball exchanges between the two places, while preparing for the 2032 Summer Olympics and cultivating outstanding Chinese pickleball players.
Zhou Xiaoqin, executive director of the Taipei City Pickleball Association and chairman of the Yilan Pickleball Committee, recently made a special trip to Los Angeles to discuss the sports exchange plan between the two places with Chen Weixiang, the general secretary of the first pickleball friendship competition of the local Taiwan College and University League, and to establish connections with pickleball clubs in various parts of Southern California.
Zhou Xiaoqin said that pickleball originated in the United States and was brought to Taiwan by overseas Chinese in the United States two years ago when they visited relatives and friends. Unexpectedly, it has developed rapidly in a short period of time. This ball sport that was originally thought to be most suitable for middle-aged and elderly people has now rapidly expanded to young people, teenagers and children.
Zhou Xiaoqin said that two years ago, she visited a friend in Los Angeles and asked her after dinner if she wanted to play pickleball? At that time, it was still a new term for her, but she didn't expect to learn it once and was very addicted. After returning to Taiwan, she started to promote pickleball in Yilan. Her pickleball group now has more than 1,400 friends across Taiwan.
Zhou Xiaoqin said that Taipei, Taichung and Tainan all hold various pickleball competitions. Not only that, the Pickleball Association of the Republic of China recently held a training course, and more than 80 people obtained the qualification of pickleball coach after three days of formal training and examination.
Chen Weixiang said that he started playing pickleball in March 2022, and now all four generations of his family love to play pickleball. He also went to Taiwan not long ago to participate in the Taichung Pickleball Competition. According to him, pickleball will become a demonstration sport at the 2028 Olympics and will be officially included in the Olympic Games in 2032. So far, 132 universities in the United States have provided pickleball scholarships.
