As One OCBC Group, OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore, and Great Eastern are partnering with Singapore Sports Hub to introduce pickleball courts and host a series of related activities which will culminate in one of Southeast Asia’s largest pickleball tournaments

From left: Ms Koh Ching Ching, Head of Group Brand & Communications, OCBC; Mr Jason Moo, CEO, Bank of Singapore, Ms Helen Wong, Group CEO, OCBC; Mr Greg Hingston, Group CEO, Great Eastern, Mr Quek Swee Kuan, CEO, Kallang Alive Sport Management.

Singapore, 25 October 2025 – OCBC Group is partnering with the Singapore Sports Hub to host one of Southeast Asia's largest pickleball tournaments at the National Stadium in 2026. The tournament will be the competitive highlight of a programme that will also see the commissioning of eight new outdoor pickleball courts at the Singapore Sports Hub that will be open for public use from January 2026, and a lead-up competitive series to build excitement. This comprehensive pickleball programme is supported by the corporate sector, bringing together OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore, Great Eastern and Kallang Alive Sport Management.

With this partnership, two junior tennis courts at the Kallang Tennis Hub and three basketball courts at the Promenade at National Stadium will be modified as dual-use courts – which can be used either for pickleball, or, respectively, tennis or basketball. Pre-determined play times for each sport will be scheduled to facilitate ease of bookings for all patrons.

This move will add more than 20,000 hours of pickleball play annually, in line with Singapore Sports Hub’s vision of being the venue for everyday athletes, families and friends to stay active and learn new sports together. The new courts will be ready for public use from January 2026 and per-court bookings will start from S$5 (non-peak hours). Members of public may register interest for pickleball activities at Singapore Sports Hub here.

Aside from the new courts, over 500 players will be able to take part in a lead-up series of pickleball games and activities that will build towards a finale tournament. For the tournament itself, more than 20 pickleball courts will be specially set up at the National Stadium. More than 2,000 players are expected to compete over three days, making this amongst the largest pickleball competitions in the region. The lead-up series will kick off in early 2026 while the tournament will be held in the third quarter of 2026.

As part of the tournament, Bank of Singapore – the private banking subsidiary of OCBC – will host an exclusive, invite-only corporate challenge. This special category will see pickleball enthusiasts from leading corporates and the bank’s clients vie for the honour of being crowned champions.

More details of the series and the tournament will be announced in the first quarter of 2026.

Growing popularity of pickleball

The growing popularity of pickleball in Singapore is due to its ease of learning and play, making the sport suitable for all ages and fitness levels. This partnership between OCBC Group and Singapore Sports Hub seeks to support this growing sport with new spaces and an interesting platform to bring pickleball enthusiasts together.

During the official announcement on 25th October, Ms Helen Wong, Group CEO of OCBC, Mr Jason Moo, CEO of Bank of Singapore and Mr Gregory Hingston, CEO of Great Eastern, joined Mr Quek Swee Kuan, CEO of Kallang Alive Sport Management, which manages the Singapore Sports Hub, in a game of pickleball on OCBC Square. Mr Adrian Ang, better known by his online persona “Xiao Ming” and the co-founder of popular Singaporean social media and entertainment platform SGAG, also played an exhibition match with Singapore’s top-ranked pickleball male player by the Singapore Pickleball Association, Mr Richie Ong.

Group CEO Helen Wong, a tennis enthusiast, said of the pickleball partnership with the Singapore Sports Hub, "We are excited to bring pickleball to even more people in Singapore as One OCBC Group. For the first time, all our major entities, OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore and Great Eastern, are coming together to jointly support an increasingly popular sport that deserves to be even more easily accessible. The Singapore Sports Hub and OCBC Group share a common vision—not just in promoting sports, but in bringing entertainment and lifestyle activities to the community. Two other iconic sporting events, OCBC Cycle and the Great Eastern Women’s Run, are already staged at the Singapore Sports Hub. Expanding this partnership represents a natural and strategic alignment for us.”

Quek Swee Kuan, CEO, Kallang Alive Sport Management said, "As a destination, Singapore Sports Hub offers quality spaces and programmes for lifestyle, recreational and competitive sporting pursuits. The addition of pickleball, an accessible and inclusive sport, to our offerings reflects our commitment to be responsive to the needs of players and communities in our midst. We are pleased to partner OCBC Group, amongst other like-minded organisations, to deliver on our various initiatives to grow the sport and strengthen the broader pickleball ecosystem.”