"Do They Even Play?" — Malaysia Pickleball's New Leadership Board Draws Fire From Its Own Community

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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:

“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.

MPA’s Response

MPA president Delima Ibrahim maintained that the association had done what was asked of it.

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.

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.

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