SmashKadas Pickleball UAE is taking its game beyond the court. On Friday, October 2, 2026, the group will hold The Pink Smash at Dubai British School – Jumeira, a competitive event dedicated to raising awareness and support for those affected by breast cancer, held in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Play begins at 7:30 PM.
Carrying the theme “Rally. Raise Awareness. Make an Impact,” the event features Women’s and Mixed Doubles competitions in a round robin shuffle format, with matches counting toward players’ DUPR ratings, the sport’s standard performance rating system. Women take center stage in the Women’s Doubles, backed by the group’s male members in the Mixed Doubles.
Players will compete for medals, but according to co-founders and directors Norijan Muyco and JC Borromeo, the day is about more than the standings — it is a chance for a sports community to rally behind a cause that matters.
“We want to use pickleball as a platform to bring people together, create awareness, support causes that matter, and make a positive impact beyond the court,” the organizers said.
To deepen that purpose, SmashKadas has invited the Filipina Cancer Warriors — a group of Filipina women in the UAE bound by a shared fight against cancer — to take part in the event. Their involvement, the organizers said, is meant to make The Pink Smash more than a competition, turning it into a platform to raise awareness, show support, and bring people together around the cause.
The initiative comes in the group’s second year, following its first anniversary in August 2026, a milestone that marked its growth from 10 members into what Muyco and Borromeo describe as the first and biggest majority-Filipino pickleball community in the UAE. For the organizers, The Pink Smash reflects what they hope the group can continue to represent.
“Many people may initially join us because of the sport, but what keeps them connected is the community, the friendships, and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than pickleball itself,” they said.
Held under the banner “Play for a Greater Cause,” the event is meant to show how Filipinos in the UAE can come together through sport for a greater purpose — where, as the organizers put it, competition and advocacy can exist side by side, and every player can contribute to something meaningful.
