Pickleball's rising tide: Media Prima plays the long game [WATCH]

When Media Prima Berhad Group managing director Datuk Mohd Rafiq Mat Razali first picked up a pickleball paddle, he was hardly what one would call a sporting enthusiast.

Today, he sometimes plays three times a week.

That personal transformation may help explain why pickleball has found such fertile ground in the country. Easy enough for newcomers to pick up, yet challenging enough to reward those who want to master it, the sport offers something beyond competition: an opportunity to connect.

"I've never been much of a sports person, but when I picked up the paddle, I found myself actually playing the game more than a few times a week," admits Rafiq, smiling sheepishly.

It's a simple endorsement, but one that captures the appeal of a sport whose growth is increasingly drawing the attention of sporting organisations, businesses and media companies.

The PPA Asia 1000 Leapmotor Kuala Lumpur Cup 2026, held at The Hood in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 9 to 13, was one expression of that momentum. With Media Prima as its official media partner, the tournament brought professional competition into the local spotlight while highlighting the opportunities to grow pickleball's audience and participation in the country.

For the affable Rafiq, the attraction lies in the sport's ability to bring people together.

"What's interesting about pickleball is that it's a very inclusive sport. It's a sport where anyone can basically start playing quite fast," he says, pointing to its appeal across friendship groups, workplaces and competitive circles.

In a country where food and sport are among the things that unite people, he believes pickleball offers another common ground.

DISTINCTIVE PULL

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But Media Prima's involvement isn't simply about supporting a tournament. With its reach across television, radio, print and digital platforms, the group sees an opportunity to introduce the sport to Malaysians who may not yet have tried it, while building a connection that extends beyond the broadcast.

"We do feel that we have a role to play to popularise the sport, make it a lot closer to a lot of Malaysians throughout Malaysia," says Rafiq.

That ambition reflects a wider opportunity for media organisations at a time when audiences increasingly choose what they watch and when they watch it. Sport, however, retains a distinctive pull: the anticipation of a live contest, the shared experience of cheering for a player and the sense of belonging that comes with following a team or competition.

Pickleball adds another dimension. Unlike many spectator sports, it's also something audiences can readily try for themselves. "Building those communities can also allow people to just enjoy each other's company, and allow us to build the connection beyond just broadcasts towards larger communities as well," says Rafiq.

SUSTAINABLE SPORTING ECOSYSTEM

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For United Pickleball Association Asia (UPA Asia) managing director Kimberly Koh, that community connection is central to the sport's staying power. Yet she believes Malaysia is still at the beginning of its pickleball journey, despite how quickly it has entered the public consciousness.

"There are still people who haven't tried it before. There will be people who haven't heard of it before," says Koh, describing the room for growth as significant.

The challenge is to turn initial curiosity into lasting participation. Koh observes that many who take up the sport continue playing and invite others to join them, making it part of their social routines. "For them, it goes beyond just a sport. It's a lifestyle and it's something that they enjoy spending time with their friends or even family doing."

But a sustainable sporting ecosystem requires more than packed recreational courts. For pickleball to develop into a mainstream competitive sport, Koh says, it needs a stronger pathway from casual participation to professional performance.

That means developing more high-performance coaches, giving players a clearer route towards competing professionally and helping them see that a career in the sport is possible.

Koh also sees schools as an important starting point. Introducing pickleball to children early could create a generation of players who grow up with the sport, rather than discovering it only after switching from badminton, tennis or table tennis.

Equally important are the role models who can show young players what might be possible.

For Rafiq, that's where wider exposure can make a difference. His hope isn't merely for more people to watch pickleball, but for more young Malaysians to play it and eventually compete on the international stage.

"Hopefully we can produce a world champion one day," he says, tone earnest.

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It's an ambition that places the Kuala Lumpur tournament within a larger story. The event offers a platform for competition and visibility; the longer-term task is to build the participation, coaching and development structures that can sustain the sport beyond any single tournament.

Media Prima's role, meanwhile, is to help bring that possibility closer to the public, using its platforms to connect audiences with a sport they can watch, experience and make their own.

For a game that has drawn in even a self-confessed non-sports person like Rafiq, the appeal may be straightforward. Getting started doesn't require a grand ambition. Staying with it, however, could lead somewhere much bigger.

And if Malaysia's next sporting champion is to emerge from the pickleball court, that journey may begin with something as simple as an invitation to play.