Hong Kong pickleball charity tournament raises funds for cancer support

PCCW-HKT’s name on a pickleball tournament in Wong Chuk Hang said as much about the sport’s rise in Hong Kong as it did about the fundraiser itself. The first-ever PCCW-HKT x Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre Charity Pickleball Competition 2026 turned The Pickle House into a corporate-backed civic stage, with pickleball serving as the bridge between a fast-growing recreational sport and a serious public cause.

The event ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 12, at The Pickle House in Viva Place, and registration had been open until April 30. Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre positioned the competition around its core mission: supporting people living with cancer and their families through free, holistic services funded entirely by donations because the charity receives no government support.

That need is easy to measure in Hong Kong’s cancer statistics. The city recorded 37,953 newly diagnosed cancer cases in 2023, an average of about 104 a day, including 18,656 male cases and 19,297 female cases. Maggie’s said its own centre, established in 2013 and located next to the Oncology Department of Tuen Mun Hospital, has already delivered more than 320,000 service visits over 13 years. Its multidisciplinary team includes oncology nurses, social workers, dietitians and clinical psychologists, and its services range from information and practical support to emotional and psychosocial care, relaxation and stress management, and a warm, welcoming space.

The fundraiser also fit a broader pattern in Hong Kong pickleball, where the sport has moved beyond private clubs and casual play into organized community life. The Hong Kong, China Tennis Association says it aims to promote pickleball’s development and growth in the city and describes it as suitable for children through seniors. Other local pickleball bodies have framed the game as a community-building platform while pushing training, competition and governance forward.

RLB said the June 12 competition drew 16 teams and more than 100 participants, and raised more than HK$600,000. The company said that money would help Maggie’s deliver around 2,000 free cancer support services, giving the tournament a scale that matched its symbolism.

For Maggie’s, the event linked a local fundraiser to a wider international network that began with the first Maggie’s centre in Edinburgh in 1996 and has since supported more than 4 million people. For pickleball in Hong Kong, it showed a sport gaining enough recognition to carry not just competition, but trust, sponsorship and social purpose.