Pickleball 

HÀ NỘI — From basketball courts to pickleball rallies, a new partnership is aiming to get students in the public security force moving as both sports continue gaining momentum across Việt Nam.

The Việt Nam Public Security Sports Association (PSSA) and New Sports have inked a deal to promote basketball and pickleball among students in institutions under the Ministry of Public Security.

Pickleball is experiencing an explosive rise in popularity across Việt Nam in 2025-26, with an estimated more than 30,000 players nationwide and a 13-fold increase in equipment sales, making it one of the country’s fastest-growing recreational and competitive sports.

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world and has gradually established its position in Việt Nam, with tournaments of different levels organised throughout the year.

PSSA is a key sports organisation under the Ministry of Public Security, responsible for managing, training and developing athletic talent within the police force, while New Sports is an innovative enterprise specialising in organising and operating sports events of all sizes.

Following the deal, the partners will join hands to develop sports movements, especially basketball and pickleball, within the police force in order to improve physical fitness, morale and task performance.

There is also a programme to build a high-performance sports system, develop a pool of professional athletes within the force to meet the requirements of domestic and international competitions and further build a professional-standard sports club model.

Currently, the PSSA Pickleball Club is operating professionally and aims to participate in international tournament systems such as the PPA Tour Asia and APES Games. Meanwhile, basketball has been widely organised in schools, with talented players selected to compete in national championships.

Both sides are also accelerating efforts to build sports facilities and implement training programmes for schools. At the same time, building on the success of the 2025 Northern Region Expanded People's Police Pickleball Tournament, a series of tournaments is being organised with plans to develop it into an annual event of increasingly larger scale featuring more sports.

The collaboration also covers several key initiatives aimed at improving the quality of training and competition, while contributing to the development and international integration of the police force and enhancing its image and standing both at home and abroad. — VNS