Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and actor Chung Joon-ho will face off in pickleball at a Han River pickleball court. Chung, who serves as Seoul's honorary mayor, will in effect square off against the sitting mayor. Both are said to be interested in pickleball and play regularly.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold an opening event for two days from on the 28th to the 29th at the Gwangnaru pickleball court in Hangang Park in Gangdong District.
On the first day of the event, a citizen participation preliminary match was held. On the second day, the opening ceremony will be held along with the final for those who advanced to the final in the previous day's match.
The city has teased an "event match" between the opening ceremony and the final. The participants are Mayor Oh Se-hoon and actor Chung Joon-ho. They will each team up for doubles with Cho Min-jung, a former tennis player, and Hyun Jung-hwa, vice president of the Korea Table Tennis Association and a table tennis legend in Korea.
Oh, known as a "sports maniac," is said to play pickleball once every 10 days. He reportedly started at the suggestion of actor Chung Joon-ho, Seoul's honorary mayor. On social media (SNS), multiple videos show Chung enjoying pickleball.
Pickleball is a sport first started in 1965 by Joel Pritchard, an American businessman and politician. It developed from hitting a plastic ball with table tennis paddles on a badminton court. Using a paddle slightly larger than a table tennis paddle to rally a perforated plastic ball, the rules are simple and it is easy to learn.
Above all, compared with its exercise benefits, the risk of injury is low, making it a sport that men and women of all ages can enjoy without pressure.
In fact, famous overseas celebrities of various ages also play pickleball. Bill Gates, Microsoft (MS) founder, actor Emma Watson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and singer Taylor Swift are known to enjoy it. It is spreading rapidly in the United States as well as in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom.
Demand for pickleball is steadily increasing in Korea as well. However, critics have said that facilities are far too lacking for this demand. Public pickleball courts in Seoul numbered only eight in total, including the Gangdong District reservoir (four courts) and Seoul Forest (four courts). Among pickleball enthusiasts, this led to talk that dozens of people waiting to play is the norm.
With the newly opened Gwangnaru pickleball court, public facilities in Seoul have increased to a total of 22 courts. Pickleball is also highly space-efficient. Four pickleball courts can be installed on one tennis court. The newly created space was originally a soccer field site, and 14 courts were built. If 22 people can exercise at one soccer field, pickleball can accommodate up to 56 people playing simultaneously in doubles.
Going forward, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to increase the number of pickleball courts in neighborhoods after gauging public participation. A Seoul city official said, "Pickleball is a sport with high accessibility and significant exercise benefits," adding, "We hope many citizens experience pickleball and enjoy healthy leisure activities."