Kuwait’s First Pickleball Tournament: Kuwait held its first official pickleball tournament on April 18, 2025, at The British School of Kuwait in Salwa. Sixty players of different skill levels joined the one-day event, which was supported by 10 sponsors and welcomed around 100 spectators. The tournament marked a major step forward for the sport in the country.
Bringing Pickleball Home
The event was the dream of Hani Haidar, founder of Pickleball Kuwait. Haidar discovered the sport while studying at Bangor University in North Wales.
“I tried many different racket sports at Bangor. I saw on the website that you could book pickleball, but at first I didn’t really know what that was. I ended up booking it with my friends, just for fun, and we played it like table tennis because we didn’t know all the rules.”-(Hani Haidar)
“I went on Google and YouTube to learn the rules, and then I searched on Facebook for pickleball clubs near me in Wales where I could play and learn. They taught me everything.”-(Hani Haidar)
Knowing he would return to Kuwait in late 2023, Haidar enrolled in the Pickleball Leaders Certification program in the UK to prepare for teaching the sport back home.
Growing the Game in Kuwait
Haidar earned his certification through courses in Manchester and Swansea. When he returned, he immediately began spreading the word.
“I didn’t want to return to Kuwait without pickleball.”-(Haidar)
“When I got back, I told my friends that we should start a club. I created an Instagram account and started marketing pickleball, and I invited people to try it out. The pickleball community in Kuwait is growing day by day. And just to make Pickleball Kuwait official, I also emailed the International Pickleball Federation and they were very supportive and gave us their approval.”-(Haidar)
Though Kuwait still lacks many courts, Haidar continues to work hard to promote the sport.
Building a Lasting Community
“Over the past two years, we’ve done a lot of classes for kids, and we are offering school visits to teach students about pickleball. We are working with the kids, the adults, and we are trying to push seniors as well.”-(Haidar)
“We are also meeting with some people from the Ministry of Youth to be approved by them, and if that happens, that will create a team for Pickleball Kuwait to represent Kuwait in tournaments around the world. We would like to promote the sport, so we’re trying our best.”-(Haidar)
Haidar was thrilled by how successful the first tournament turned out.
“Every court was full with players. It was an amazing day. I didn’t think we would end up like this. It was just me and two or three of my friends when we started, and now we hosted a big tournament like this, so it was very nice.”-(Haidar)
“I even told some friends to come to the car park because it was full. I told them that I dreamed of this day. It was very special.”-(Haidar)
Looking Beyond Kuwait
Haidar believes this is only the beginning. He sees a strong future for the sport, both in Kuwait and across the Gulf.
“When I first played pickleball, it was really amazing. I enjoy every moment when I’m playing, so I thought – ‘Yeah, this is the sport I want.’ It’s a great workout for keeping in shape and a great hobby.”-(Haidar)
“Pickleball has a bright future in Kuwait.”-(Haidar)
Haidar also hopes to connect with others in the region to keep the momentum going.
“I messaged some pickleball clubs in the Gulf area after seeing that there is a community that started, just like us. We visited Dubai to play and meet them. Dubai is the main one that has a lot of pickleball players and pickleball courts.”-(Haidar)
“Next week, eight players from Kuwait will participate in the Dubai Open. We also have a WhatsApp group called the ‘GCC Group,’ for the Gulf area, just to share our news and all the pickleball experiences with each other.”-(Haidar)
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News in Brief: Kuwait’s First Pickleball Tournament
Kuwait hosted its first pickleball tournament on April 18 in Salwa, drawing 60 players. Organized by Hani Haidar, founder of Pickleball Kuwait, the event marked a big step in promoting the sport locally. Haidar hopes to grow the game across the Gulf through regional cooperation and continued outreach.
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