The waves usually carry with them salt, sand, and a strain of the breeze. But, along Chennai’s coastline that houses VGP Golden Beach Resort, the tide will soon carry more than just that. The sea will flow with a whiff of competition, victory, and opportunities. On its sands, single and double play courts will rise, racquets will clash, plastic balls will bounce, and music will swell as Chennai hosts its first-ever Pickleball By The Bay and a Music Festival. A three-day celebration of entertainment, sports, and lifestyle, this event is presented by the Rise Up Championship (RUC) Foundation.
The event is claimed to be the country’s first international pickleball tournament by the sea.“Pickleball is a fast-paced, fun, and highly engaging sport. By bringing it to the beach and surrounding it with live music and food, we’re taking the sport to an entirely new level, creating an unforgettable blend of athleticism, entertainment, and lifestyle,” says Selvakumar Baalu, who once played professional tennis and is also a motorsports enthusiast.
According to Selvakumar, the founder of RUC, the objective behind the tournament — which is conceived as an “exotic carnival”, where matches run alongside sundowner parties, live bands, DJs, food, and the buzz of community — is to highlight that “sport events and entertainment go hand in hand globally. It’s a celebration and lifestyle carnival,” and secondly “to focus on sports that don’t get attention from the mainstream, whether it is media or sponsors.”
Serves on the shores
Driven by the vision to promote emerging and professional sports and seeking to build a vibrant ecosystem where sports are celebrated not just as competitions but as a way of life, Selvakumar founded this organisation earlier this year. “Through all these ventures, we, hopefully, would be able to find and identify some sportsmen and provide sponsorship, which will encourage exposure in that field of sport,” he adds.
For him, pickleball is only the beginning. The Foundation envisions a space where lesser-seen sports, such as rugby, baseball, polo, and golf, find their audience; where entertainment is also inseparable from competition. “We are starting with pickleball because it is on the rise at this point in time. And there are three aspects to this tournament — one is the crowd’s actual sense of satisfaction and viewership, second, for the community that is already playing the sport it becomes a way to see professional players play, and the third is for those who have not played a sport and wish to come to a lifestyle like this and pick up a sport,” explains the organiser.
Joining RUC in bringing this aspiration to the actual field are the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), Tamil Nadu Pickleball Association (TNPA), Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) and Pickleball World Ranking (PWR). The event is sanctioned as a prestigious PWR 1000 tournament — the country’s first. On Chennai being the city to unfold this feather to its sporting legacy, Selvakumar shares, “Chennai has always been the sports capital of India. There are so many sporting events happening here. The advantage of the coast and organised infrastructure is definitely a big thing for any sport to start from.”
Grooves of the game
While the city will be on the global map for its initiatives, the Pickleball competitions range across Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles categories. And competing for the price of`25 lakh are participants from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Lucknow, while Chennai fields the largest contingent. Players range from teenagers to those in their fifties, underlying pickleball’s appeal across age groups.
Yet it is the atmosphere that sets this event apart. Alongside two international-standard courts by the sea, the evenings promise live acts from DJ Lash and Aishwarya, Sublashini and Band, Masala Coffee, DJ Veekay, DJ Sparrow, Vinaitha and Band, and Pineapple Express. “Sports and music are not as far apart as they may seem,” says singer Subhalashini, “At their core, both are about passion, energy, and connection. An athlete on the court and a musician on the stage are both giving their best, pushing themselves, and channelling their emotions into performance.” With her music, she celebrates the spirit of competition, “while deepening the sense of community, turning individual moments into shared memories,” she adds.
Sports tournaments are often filled with high energy, but the players get tired, and the crowd, too, needs something to keep the energy going. That’s where music comes in. “It’s that instant boost of energy, positivity, and motivation. The right beats can lift the players’ spirits and get the audience more involved. Nowadays, every big sports event amplifies the atmosphere, and I’m excited to bring that vibe here,” notes DJ Sparrow.
As the rhythms of music match the sea and the move of the paddle matches the waves, Pickleball By The Bay is a declaration that sport in Chennai is not confined to stadiums but thrives where community, culture, and competition come together.