00:00This is a PTV Sports.
00:02At for our sports banter,
00:04we will talk to Richard Solomon
00:08who is president of the ICN Philippines Pickleball League Tournament.
00:12Good morning, sir.
00:14Good morning.
00:15Good morning.
00:16Good morning.
00:17Good morning.
00:18Good morning.
00:19Good morning, PTV Sports.
00:20Sir, first of all, can you please tell us what the ICN Philippines is?
00:24We know that ICN is known for bodybuilding.
00:28Correct.
00:30But can you tell us what it is?
00:32Yeah.
00:33That's right, Paolo,
00:35that ICN Philippines,
00:37ICN International actually started as a bodybuilding
00:40and fitness modeling sports organization.
00:44So it started off by Mr. Wayne MacDonald
00:48who is now the president also of the founder and president of ICN International
00:54or ICN Worldwide.
00:56Okay.
00:57Sa Philippines po,
00:59we are the latest member from the 108 countries of ICN International.
01:05Okay.
01:06So we,
01:07my brother who is now the ICN Philippines president
01:10who became a champion also in bodybuilding in Australia
01:14because Australia-based siya, Sydney.
01:16Since he was diagnosed, he had surgery.
01:21Okay.
01:22He had a stent.
01:23He put a stent in my heart.
01:26Your brother is?
01:28Ricky Solomon.
01:29Okay.
01:30He is actually the ICN Philippines president.
01:32Okay.
01:33I was the ICN Philippines as the ICN Philippines brand and tournament director.
01:41Okay.
01:42Yeah.
01:43And eventually, they also appointed me as the ICN Philippines pickleball league country director.
01:52Ayun nga eh.
01:53From bodybuilding, pickleball tournament.
01:54Yes.
01:55Tell us more.
01:56What happened?
01:57The ICN Philippines,
01:58the ICN International is nage-expand po siya into other sports.
02:02Mm-hmm.
02:03So may mga pinipilim sports.
02:04So nung naging ICN brand and tournament director ako,
02:08my brother, Ricky Solomon, asked me,
02:11the ICN Philippines,
02:12siya,
02:13siya,
02:14anong sa palagay mo ang pinakamagandang sports na bago,
02:15or any sports that we could add up,
02:19because I see an international expanding.
02:22Mm-hmm.
02:23And since we have founded it here in the Philippines,
02:26anong bang masasuggest mo na?
02:28Ako po kasi dati ako ng tennis club player lang.
02:32Hindi po ako tennis open player or professional player.
02:37I would like to give credit to the tennis maestro ng Pilipinas.
02:42I have so many friends as coaches and athletes.
02:46The industry.
02:46The industry in the tennis.
02:48So, but for the past two years,
02:51I've seen a massive growth,
02:53graphing, exponential growth of pickleball.
02:57Pickleball.
02:58Of course, we know, just FYI,
03:02pickleball started actually in the States in 1965
03:05by a certain congressman named Joel Pichard.
03:10Yes.
03:10So, parang...
03:11Ngayon ang paumusbong, ang pickleball?
03:13Actually, partner.
03:13From 1965?
03:14Actually, partner.
03:15Neto lang, netong mga pandemic dun na uso.
03:19Para palang patanis sa Jeronimo.
03:21Dito sa Pilipinas.
03:22Sa Pilipinas, it started off since 2016.
03:26Okay.
03:27But it was put into hold.
03:29So, it started in Cebu, actually.
03:31There's a Philippine, a Phil-American Cebuana
03:35who started a, like, clinic, basic pickleball training in Cebu.
03:45Okay.
03:45Cebu.
03:46But I've also heard, may nag-start rin sa Pangasinan.
03:50So, that I've just heard of it.
03:53Siguro, nagsama na in different provinces
03:54and ngayon na-integrate na na halos lahat na maraming tao sa Pilipinas.
03:57So, 2016 pa, and it was put into hold, hold lang,
04:02noong, of course, there was pandemic.
04:04Pandemic.
04:04Oh, yeah.
04:05But...
04:05Noong nakalabas ang mga tao.
04:06Oh, but noong, after that, oh, nakalabas lang.
04:09Oh, biglang usbong eh.
04:10In the last two years, it had a massive, up to now,
04:14if you would notice the very good indicator of this growth
04:20and the popularity, you would notice the parking lots of SMs
04:26are now converted to pickleball courts, no?
04:31Dumabi nga sila.
04:32Of course.
04:32So, yung lahat.
04:34Siyempre, because of reasons for it,
04:39ng mga, vision ng mga C, no?
04:41May-ari na, no?
04:43Makita na lang na, no?
04:44Mas malaki kita.
04:45Siguro, siguro.
04:47Personal, no?
04:47I haven't read that.
04:50A personal note lamang, yes, yes.
04:52My personal take on that.
04:53Okay.
04:54Pero, actually, marami kasi, no?
04:56At simula nga nung pagkatapos ng pandemic,
04:59talagang dumami yung mga pickleball courts.
05:01Ako, on a layman's perspective,
05:03ang nakikita ko sa pickleball ay laro ng mga may yaman.
05:06Ano ba?
05:07Dapat matanggalin yung ganong klase misconception?
05:09Hindi po.
05:11That's the reason why I believe, no?
05:14I'm an ally.
05:15I've made a study of pickleball before we got into the tournament.
05:23That's the reason why my tournament was approved by International.
05:26also, to conduct tournament on September, no?
05:29And I'll go to that later.
05:32The sports is...
05:35Hindi ko masasabing is so easy, but it's...
05:38It could be played by the young up to the old ones, eh.
05:42Okay.
05:43It becomes a family thing.
05:45It's a family bonding.
05:47That's the reason I believe it's the reason why it has a massive group.
05:52Okay.
05:52There's a massive acceptance of especially families.
05:57Nothing to do with social classes sa mga paya.
05:59Oh, but actually...
06:01Kasi mas, I believe, compared to tennis.
06:03Not to discredit tennis.
06:05I love tennis, no?
06:06And I still play it.
06:08Pero, yung pickleball kasi, it's...
06:11Hindi ba yung paddle?
06:12And you can buy paddles na napaka-mura lang.
06:15Fair pay.
06:16Oh, I saw.
06:16It's available even in Lazada, no?
06:19Actually, dyan nga, dumarami din yung mga grassroots programs sa pickleball.
06:25Kasi, maraming...
06:26Oh, yung ganda nun, ah.
06:27Oh, grassroots programs sa pickleball.
06:28Kasi, maraming mga kabataan na hindi...
06:31Kasi, alam naman natin, hindi naman actually lahat nakakabili ng paddle.
06:34Yung mga paddle boards nila.
06:36So, yung iba na pinoprovidean dun sa...
06:40Gamit dun sa grassroots program para makapag-try din.
06:42Kasi, mas magandang bata pa lang simulan na ang pagpipickleball.
06:45Eh, pwede ba na maging ano yan?
06:47Magiging parte ng curriculum sa sports programs for college.
06:50If I were to add up on sinabi ni Paolo, hindi lang batay.
06:55Even, there's no late age in playing pickleball.
07:01Yes, yes, yes.
07:02Kasi, even yung mga 60s ngayon, you would see tournaments hanggang 60 plus.
07:08Meron tayong tinatawag na master's division.
07:12Andun yung mga 50 and up.
07:14Yung mga 60 and up.
07:16Let's talk about the goal and vision of the ICN Philippines Pickleball Tournament.
07:20Salas more.
07:21Opo, yeah.
07:22So, as I've said, nung pinadagdag, nagsuggest, pinasuggest ako ng kapatid mo, sir, Hiki Salamon.
07:30And I chose pickleball, no?
07:32Kasi, because it has massive exponential growth in the Philippines for the past two years.
07:36Ngayon, since the tournament that we'll be having, ano, was approved, no?
07:44In fact, pickleball as a whole was approved.
07:48And the tournament that I've submitted to the international for September.
07:53Ang vision ngayon is malawak ng ICN Philippines.
08:01Yeah.
08:02We, first and foremost, we founded, we created the ICN Philippines Pickleball League.
08:10Okay, wow.
08:11It's a league, no?
08:12So, we hope to grow, of course, nationally, on a provincial and regional level.
08:19Although, there are so many organizations to credit them first na nari yan na, no?
08:26Na, just like PPS.
08:28So, papasok na lang sila on the provincial level para makaakit din.
08:30Gano'n po ba mga refer to these organizations?
08:32Actually, yung goal namin is to a regional level and not only to promote, develop, and to have, also to help in the massive.
08:47O, parang bago na, papculture na yung panibagang sports na ito, eh.
08:50But it's not...
08:51I mean, dati na siya, pero inisyal mga ate.
08:53It's not just a fad.
08:54It's not just a craze.
08:56Pickleball is here to stay.
08:58It will be just like any other sports like tennis, basketball, that's how big it is now.
09:05It's even the fastest growth in the States and everywhere in the world.
09:11There are now like 60 countries playing pickleball.
09:13O, ang dami ko nakikita on social media, playing pickleball.
09:16You would notice also there's like mushrooms sprouting.
09:20It's pickleball course of like...
09:21May kanyang grupo, organizations.
09:23And economically speaking and career speaking, there's so many growth, even in careers in pickleball,
09:33na dati, like for example, if you go to the stats, 90% of the people who played pickleball now came from tennis.
09:42Okay.
09:42Also from badminton.
09:43O, hindi naman disadvantage siya for tennis players, hindi naman.
09:46Hindi naman po, hindi naman po.
09:47Tennis will be there.
09:49Tennis is as an each of its own.
09:53Just like we have now Alex Iala, who's also a very great ambassador for the sport.
10:01Pero with that being said, going back to our question, sir.
10:05Dun sa ICN Philippines Pickleball League Tournament, sino-sino ang mga pwedeng sumali rito?
10:10At anong klaseng torneo ba ito?
10:13Oh, yeah.
10:13Anong klaseng format?
10:15Yeah.
10:15We're, there's, um, maraming sports organizations, pickleball sports organizations now, who have existed since eight years ago.
10:26And they have really developed and promoted the pickleball well.
10:34Credit goes to them, especially, yung mga naunang sports organizations.
10:38Kami naman po, sa akin, we, siguro, we're not different from those organizations that promotes and develop the sport.
10:50We're just, just the same with them.
10:53But siguro, the only difference is we have a different format.
10:56And we also have different standards.
10:59Okay.
10:59So, may kanya-kanyang strengths ang bawat isa.
11:04And kami, ang pinaka-goal lang namin dito is for the upliftment and to help the pickleball community, which is the most important stakeholders in pickleball.
11:18And then, ito mo, yung price pool natin, ha, abot ng 245,000.
11:23Oo, saanlika mo, partner.
11:24Parang gusto ko sumaali.
11:26Paano po mag-register?
11:27Kasi parang may nakategor different sets of dates.
11:29Yeah.
11:29Make QR code din siya.
11:31Yeah, by the way, sa dates, emphasize ko lang po sa Lian, no, na nakapost ngayon.
11:37September 6th, 7th.
11:38There's, there's two consecutive weeks.
11:40Okay.
11:41Kasi hindi po siya matatapos ng isang weekend lang, no.
11:44Which is, September 6th and 7th are, is actually dedicated to, will be...
11:52For intermediate division.
11:54For intermediate division.
11:55And the September 14th, 14th, advanced division.
11:58For advanced.
11:58That will be happening on Chendesitas in Artigas City.
12:02Oh, correct.
12:03A team can have up to nine pairs.
12:05There are 16 teams for, I've heard, it would be the biggest so far of a number of teams
12:17that would be, would compete in just one, in just a week.
12:212,500 pesos kapag sa sali.
12:23Okay, sir, last question.
12:25Ano lang, sir, dun sa biggest, kasi nabanggit mo yung biggest team na pwedeng ano.
12:31Ilan ang ina-expect natin na lalakok dito sa tournament ito?
12:34We hope to have 16 teams and that's since there's like 18 players or 9 players, 18 players per team.
12:47So we're expecting 16, so that's 288.
12:50And the second week, if you have to add another 16 teams, hopefully that's like about 288 times too.
13:01576, I think.
13:02Ayun, marami-rami yung sa sali dyan.
13:04Hopefully, hopefully.
13:06Social media accounts?
13:07Oh yeah, we have our Pickleball page, Facebook page, ICN Philippines Pickleball League.
13:17Oh.
13:18And the group, Facebook group, ICN Philippines, just the same.
13:22Ayun, message lamang sa kanilang social media accounts for other details.
13:27Lala na sa mga gusto ng sumali.
13:28Well, anyway, on that note, maraming salamat po, Sir Richard Solomon.
13:32Thank you so much, sir.
13:33Thank you for having us.
13:35Thank you so much.
13:36Thank you for having me.
