A pickleball tournament jointly organised by Dantri and Vietnam Pickleball Sports Forum JSC (PICKFAIR) kicked off in Hanoi on the morning of July 5 as part of a series of events marking the 20th anniversary of Dantri Online Newspaper.
Participants at the opening ceremony of the event.
The opening ceremony was held at the Dai Kim Pickleball Complex in Hoang Mai District, with nearly 600 players from across the country in attendance. The event welcomed officials including Tran Duc Toan, Deputy Head of the Publicity and Mass Mobilisation Commission under the Party Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Le Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, Dantri Editor-in-Chief Pham Tuan Anh and deputy editors, PICKFAIR Director Le Ngoc An, Chief Referee Dinh Cong Minh, among others.
Speaking at the ceremony, Editor-in-Chief Pham Tuan Anh said the event celebrates Dantri’s two-decade journey and aims to promote solidarity, healthy living, and a positive community spirit.
Dantri's Editor-in-Chief Pham Tuan Anh speaks at the ceremony.
"More importantly, the tournament carries a profound humanitarian message, as all athlete registration fees will be used to build five houses for underprivileged families in Cao Bang Province," Anh emphasised.
A total of 574 athletes are competing in the tournament, which features Vietnam’s first-ever use of a 12-eye VAR (video assistant referee) system in pickleball. The advanced technology ensures maximum transparency and fairness in matches, particularly for fast-moving or unclear plays where human eyes may fall short.
The two-day event, held on July 5 and 6, includes multiple categories and offers first, second, and third-place prizes ranging from VND 3 million to VND 50 million (approximately USD 118 to USD 1,960).