Sibu Pushes Bukit Lima Arena, Seeking Permanent Pickleball Hub

Sibu is trying to turn pickleball from a fast-growing habit into permanent infrastructure. The Bukit Lima Pickleball Arena, a proposed two-storey complex with eight dedicated courts, has moved into the approval pipeline with support from the Sibu Municipal Council and Sarawak Sports Corporation, and it has already cleared the Sibu Divisional Development Committee siting meeting.

Joseph Chieng said Phase 1 has RM5.8 million in Rural Transformation Project funding allocated. The project still needs final siting approval from the Sarawak Land and Survey Department before it can go forward, then clearance from the Sarawak Government Building Design Committee and the Sarawak Planning Authority. That sequence matters because it shows Sibu is not just talking about demand. It is building the case for a real home for the sport.

The arena plan lands at a moment when the game already has a school pipeline in place. SPA helped form pickleball clubs in 11 secondary schools across Sibu district on April 30, 2025, with equipment sponsorship. The schools named in the later reports were SMK Methodist, SMK Sacred Heart, SMK Bukit Assek, SMK St Elizabeth, SMK Tung Hua, SMK Deshon, SMK Sungai Merah, SMK Bandar Sibu, Catholic High School, SM Wong Nai Siong and Woodlands International School, with SMK Agama Sibu and SM Kiang Him joining later. In January 2025, 10 secondary schools were already looking at clubs and co-curricular programmes, a sign that the interest was moving through the education system before the arena proposal fully matured.

Sibu’s competitive side has already shown what that base can produce. The town staged its first inter-secondary school pickleball championship on Sept. 5-6, 2025, drawing 16 teams from 13 secondary schools. Catholic High School won the event, followed by Woodlands International School, SMK Tung Hua Team A and SMK Deshon. The second edition is scheduled for July 4-5, 2026, at the SMI Pickleball Centre, with the Sibu District Education Office backing the plan.

The coaching layer is growing too. SPA ran a Level 1 Certified Coaches Course on June 7, 2025, and trained 34 participants, including attendees from Kuching and Sarikei. That matters for a sport that needs instructors, not just courts. More coaches mean more sessions, more beginners, and more reasons for clubs, schools and local businesses to stay invested.

SPA’s rise also points to broader local depth. It was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies in April 2024, and Sibu already had five other registered pickleball associations then: Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Lanang, Iplay Swan Squad and Dudong. With the Sarawak Pickleball Association also endorsing the inaugural Sarawak U18 inter-division championship, tentatively set for July 25-26, 2026, Sibu is positioning Bukit Lima as more than a venue. It is trying to become the region’s permanent pickleball hub.