Cebu launches pickleball open to boost sport, charity, camaraderie
Cebu’s June 27 open is being framed as a proving ground for pickleball’s next step in the Philippines, with P10,000 titles, charity money and national-body ambitions.
Cebu’s next pickleball event is carrying far more weight than a weekend title chase. The 1st Cebu Pickleball Open Tournament 2026: The Blazing Torch and True Edge Cup, set for June 27 at Net and Paddle in Barangay Sawang Calero, is being used by organizers as a test of whether the sport in the Philippines has enough scale, structure and credibility to support a national governing body.
The launch was held on May 13 at Sunburst-8 Banawa Centrale, where Antorcha De La Libertad Lodge No. 2 and Espada De Rectitud Lodge No. 3, under The Sovereign Grand Lodge of Visayas and Mindanao-Gran Logia Soberana del Archipielago Filipino, put the event forward as a sporting and organizational statement. Lead organizer Allan Borres Delantar said the tournament has three goals: build camaraderie through sportsmanship, raise funds for charitable and humanitarian causes, and help develop pickleball in Cebu and neighboring communities.
That structure matters because Cebu is not starting from zero. Pickleball was first introduced to the Philippines through a clinic in Cebu in 2016, and the sport has since grown to more than 320 registered clubs nationwide. A separate Philstar report in March said there were already more than 250 clubs and thousands of active players across Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, which is exactly why a Cebu event with institutional ambition matters. If the sport is going to move from scattered local momentum to a formal national framework, it will need tournaments that look serious, draw entries and prove they can organize beyond one-off enthusiasm.
The Cebu Open is built like a real pressure test. It will include men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, and it is open to qualified players and pickleball enthusiasts regardless of organizational affiliation. Champions in each category will receive P10,000, while runners-up will get P7,000. Entry is set at P1,500 per player, with proceeds going to a charitable organization or humanitarian initiative chosen by the organizers and approved by TSGLVM-GLSdAF.
The venue choice adds another layer. Net and Paddle in Sawang Calero has already hosted the Kosmas Pickle Fest 2026 in March, a five-day event tied to the Pickleball Champions League Rising Stars U19 Sectional Tournament and a pathway to the PCL Asia Grand Finals on Hainan Island, China. That history gives the Cebu Open a ready-made platform and a built-in credibility check: if the same site can handle a development pathway event in March and a broad-based open in June, Cebu is doing more than hosting tournaments. It is building the infrastructure for the sport’s next phase.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
