‘Where Pickleball Meets Purpose’

BACOLOD CITY – Around 800 pickleball players from across the country converged in Bacolod City for the inaugural Benitez Million Pickleball Cup, a three-day tournament combining competition, wellness and charity during the MassKara Festival season.

The tournament, running from Oct. 16 to 18 at Paddle City along Magsaysay Avenue, offers a total prize pool of PHP 1 million and seeks to strengthen Negros Occidental’s growing pickleball community while supporting a nutrition program for children.

Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez led the tournament’s official opening Friday with Paddle City co-incorporators Jet Pili, Charles Go and Jason Tupas.

Bacolod Councilor Jason Villarosa, himself a pickleball enthusiast, led participants in the oath of sportsmanship.

Benitez said he had witnessed pickleball’s growing popularity and wanted to give players in Bacolod and Negros Occidental an opportunity to celebrate the MassKara season through friendly competition, sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Recalling how he started a running event about a decade ago, Benitez said the tournament was another way to support the sporting community and encourage more people to take part in physical activities.

For Benitez, the value of sports extends beyond trophies and prize money, with competition also providing opportunities to develop discipline, friendships and a stronger sense of community.

He encouraged players to compete fairly, embrace challenges and demonstrate their fighting spirit, while expressing hope that the tournament would become a continuing fixture for the local sports community.

Benitez also stressed the value of introducing children to sports as an alternative to spending excessive time on phones and other digital devices.

Through pickleball, he said, young people can interact face to face, develop social connections and participate in activities that promote physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Benitez apologized to players who were unable to secure slots after registration closed within three hours because of strong demand.

Participants came from Iloilo, Cebu, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Manila and other parts of the country, underscoring organizers’ aim of positioning Bacolod and Negros Occidental as emerging destinations for the sport.

Pickleball, a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, has gained a wider following because it can be played competitively or recreationally across different age groups.

Richard Nagac, tournament manager and representative of the One Pickleball Tournament Organization, said the competition follows USA Pickleball rules throughout the three-day event.

Ten courts were prepared at Paddle City for men’s and women’s doubles competitions in five categories: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Executive 50+ and Open.

The Beginner category offers prizes of PHP 20,000, PHP 15,000 and PHP 10,000.

Novice winners will receive PHP 30,000, PHP 20,000 and PHP 10,000.

The Intermediate category carries prizes of PHP 40,000, PHP 30,000 and PHP 20,000.

Open competitors will vie for PHP 60,000, PHP 30,000 and PHP 20,000.

The Executive 50+ category offers PHP 50,000, PHP 30,000 and PHP 20,000.

A game with a greater purpose

Beyond the matches, the Benitez Million Pickleball Cup is using the sport as a platform to help address child malnutrition in some of Negros Occidental’s poorest communities.

Organizers partnered with Negrense Volunteers for Change and its Mingo Meals program, which provides nutritious food to children in need.

Of the PHP 800 registration fee paid by each participant, PHP 100 will go to NVC to support the nutrition program.

Mingo Meals products are designed to be convenient and affordable, with servings costing around PHP 10 each.

The partnership gives players an opportunity to contribute to a community cause while competing in the tournament, extending the event’s impact beyond the pickleball courts.

Putting Negros on the pickleball map

Organizers hope the tournament can help establish Negros as a destination for pickleball while encouraging residents to adopt healthier and more active lifestyles.

Bringing hundreds of players from different parts of the country to Bacolod also adds a sports tourism dimension to the event during one of the city’s busiest festival periods.

By combining competition, community engagement and charitable giving, organizers are positioning the tournament as more than a sporting event, with its benefits intended to reach players and communities alike.

For the hundreds of competitors, the three-day tournament provides a chance to test their skills and compete for significant prizes, while the wider community gets a glimpse of how a fast-growing sport can promote fitness, social connections and public service. (Photos: Glazyl M. Jopson)