“Do They Even Play?” — Malaysia Pickleball’s New Leadership Board Draws Fire From Its Own Community
Malaysia Pickleball Association’s celebratory Facebook post announcing its new leadership board quickly became a flashpoint, with the pickleball community flooding the comments with one recurring question — do these people even play the sport?
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
A Facebook post celebrating the formation of a new leadership board for the Malaysia Pickleball Association (MPA) has drawn a wave of critical public comments, with many in the pickleball community questioning the credentials of the newly elected committee — and raising pointed questions about the association’s legal standing.
The post, published on MPA’s official Facebook page, announced the results of a remedial Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 13 January and introduced a new executive committee headed by president Delima Ibrahim.
Within hours, the comments section was filled with questions.
“Can share their DUPR point? Macam non players after all,” wrote one commenter, referring to the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating system used to measure player skill levels.
It Wasn’t Just About Who Could Play
Others echoed the sentiment.
“Do they even play pickleball themselves?” asked another.
“Why does such a young game have such OLD committee members?” wrote a third.
But the questions did not stop at player credentials.
“How can Delima be president and also sub committee?” wrote commenter Faudzi Din, flagging what he saw as a conflict in the leadership structure.
The concern was not unfounded — the same announcement confirmed that Delima holds both the president’s role and the position of competition chairwoman on the subcommittee simultaneously.
The Suspension Question Nobody From MPA Answered
Among the comments, one stood out.
“Thought the SC suspended MPA on 27 Feb?” wrote commenter Alvin Looi.
The MPA did not answer the question on the post. But the answer, it turns out, is yes.
On 27 February, the Sports Commissioner’s Office (SCO) suspended MPA under the Sports Development Act 1997, giving the association 30 days to explain why it should not be deregistered.
Sports Commissioner Arrifin Ghani confirmed the suspension followed a show-cause letter issued on 4 February, citing a series of governance concerns that had been under scrutiny for more than a year.
MPA disputes the suspension, saying it complied with all SCO directives by holding the remedial AGM in January.
What The Sports Commissioner Found
According to Arrifin, the suspension was not a sudden decision.
The SCO identified multiple governance violations within MPA, including:
- The AGMs held in 2021, 2022, and 2023 were conducted without achieving the required quorum
- Elections for the main committee were carried out by individual members not entitled to vote under Clause 10.2 of the MPA Constitution
- Several committee members were appointed rather than elected
- When former president Farrell Choo stepped down in July 2025, he personally named Delima Ibrahim as his successor — a move the SCO said was not in line with MPA’s constitution, which requires the deputy president to assume the role
“I have been left with no choice but to suspend MPA due to governance issues. It is not something I like to do, but it has not followed its constitution on several matters,” Arrifin said.
He added that MPA remains the only recognised national body for pickleball in Malaysia despite the suspension.
They have been suspended, not deregistered. They have a month to get their house in order.
MPA’s Response
MPA president Delima Ibrahim maintained that the association had done what was asked of it.
The Malaysia Pickleball Association has complied fully with all requirements set by the Sports Commissioner’s Office to proceed with the remedial AGM.
She added that the new executive committee includes representation from five affiliated state members, in line with SCO requirements.
Arrifin, however, noted that when he spoke with Delima, she indicated she had not been aware of several of the irregularities.
Ignorance of the law is not a defence. There are members within the association who are aware of the proper procedures. I hope MPA can resolve the issues we have highlighted.
MPA has until late March to submit its formal explanation to the SCO, and if the explanation is not accepted, the association faces deregistration — a step that would strip it of its status as Malaysia’s national pickleball body.
For now, the pickleball community watches and waits — many of them still asking questions in a Facebook comments section that has yet to receive a direct reply.
Parts of this story have been sourced from Twentytwo13.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
