Singapore's OCBC Arena to Host 1,600-Player Pickleball Open in 2026

The OCBC Arena at Kallang will host one of Southeast Asia's largest pickleball tournaments in October, as OCBC and Great Eastern back a 1,600-player open that pairs major competitive ambition with a deliberately affordable grassroots entry pathway.

The OCBC-Great Eastern Pickleball Open runs October 23-25, 2026 and is split across four categories: a novice division for players with fewer than two years' experience who have not previously medaled at local or overseas tournaments, an open division for more seasoned competitors, a public corporate challenge, and an invite-only corporate championship. All matches will be played in doubles format with any gender combination permitted, reinforcing the sport's inherently social character.

The Kallang Group will run 24 learn-to-play workshops across April, May, August and September to channel new players into the October event. Each two-hour session accommodates up to 36 participants, led by certified coaches, and is structured in three segments: introduction, practice and social play. Pricing is kept deliberately accessible: S$10 for youth aged 13 to 20, S$15 for adults and S$28 for multi-generational groups combining one child, one adult and one senior.

Gillian Lee, a recreational player who signed up for the workshops, said the structured sessions make proper coaching affordable and approachable, and that the social aspect is a major draw for her participation.

The announcement represents a significant corporate commitment to pickleball's trajectory in Singapore. OCBC and insurer Great Eastern are partnering with The Kallang Group on the event, following a January announcement that The Kallang Group would open eight dual-use courts. That sequencing, courts first, then workshops, then a mass-participation tournament, points to a coordinated public-private strategy rather than a one-off promotional play.

At 1,600 expected entries, the Open would rank among the largest amateur pickleball events in the region, positioning the Kallang precinct as a hub for organised competitive play across Southeast Asia. The corporate championship's invite-only tier adds a prestige layer that keeps the event relevant well beyond the grassroots segment.

For coaches and private clubs, the tournament opens immediate commercial channels: coaching contracts for the 24-session workshop series, tournament staffing roles and links to the local league structures that typically emerge in an event's wake.

With the first workshops already underway and October still six months out, The Kallang Group has built in enough runway to take a curious beginner from a S$15 session to a registered tournament slot, a clear pipeline that Singapore's pickleball scene has lacked until now.