Taiwan's 1st riverside pickleball center opens in New Taipei park

New Taipei, Sept. 19 (CNA) New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Friday launched Taiwan's first riverside pickleball center inside New Taipei Metropolitan Park.

The new eight-court facility was repurposed by the city's High Riverbank Construction Management Office from an old basketball facility in the park's Erchong Floodway area next to Metropolitan Baseball Field.

At the opening, Hou said that with New Taipei having 1,382 hectares of riverside park space, the city is well positioned to offer the public abundant facilities for leisure or serious workouts.

High Riverbank Construction Management Office Director Huang Yu-ping (黃裕斌) explained that finding a suitable site for the pickleball space was not easy.

Huang said his office ultimately chose to convert the low-use basketball facility, investing NT$6.05 million (US$200,000) to create eight pickleball courts for enthusiasts and members of the public interested in trying a new sport.

According to the Chinese Taipei Pickleball Association, pickleball is a simple paddle sport inspired by elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis.

The game is played with solid paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a court the size of a badminton court, but with nets positioned like those on a tennis court.

It is predominantly played as doubles, although singles matches also exist. Pickleball is often organized in a round-robin format in which players rotate partners and opponents to ensure fairness in play and scoring.

According to Huang, the eight pickleball courts will follow a first-come, first-served system for all players.

The courts are open until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.