Parents and kids have fun at the Baotou pickleball family fun finals. [Photo/Baotou news network]

The Baotou pickleball family fun finals took place on Nov 23 in Jiuyuan district, jointly hosted by the city's sports bureau and women's federation. After a month-long selection process, 52 family teams from various districts competed for the championship.

To boost excitement and engagement, the event featured an interactive zone with challenges such as ball juggling. Before the finals, lively performances, including horse-head fiddle music and jump rope, set the festive tone.

The competition was divided into two groups: a younger group took part in fun activities such as timed juggling, parent-child serve and return, and hoop ball carrying, while an older group played by official pickleball rules, with the first to 11 points winning each game.

One participant, Qi Xing from Jiuyuan district, shared how the event opened a new channel of communication with her son Liu Haoxuan. Liu, a first-time pickleball player, found the sport easy to pick up and enjoyable, especially for those with badminton or table tennis experience.