PPA Tour Asia has unveiled its medal design for 2026, and with it a new challenge is set.

The podium hardware comes in three separate pieces, with each tier’s medal interlocking to form a single ceremonial fan. A dragon winds through all three, split across the set. Win once and you take home a fragment of the creature. Step on the podium at all three tiers throughout the season and the pieces click together and the full picture emerges. The mission for every player next season is clear; complete the dragon.

The design and story of the medal draws from mythology that spans the continent. The central figure, the dragon. Deep royal blue – the color of imperial courts and nobility across the region – sets the creature against the precious metal. In China, the dragon is the long. In Vietnam, the rong. In Thailand, the serpent-like naga. In Japan, the ryu. Different names but the same meaning wherever it appears: power, prosperity, good fortune, something worth chasing. For millennia it’s been chasing pearls, jewels, and flaming orbs through palace walls and temple gates across Asia. This time, the dragon pursues its newest target – the pickleball.

White lotus flowers also bloom across the design’s surface. The lotus is one of the most enduring symbols in Asian iconography. It grows in mud, rises through murky water, and blooms clean above the surface. A cycle of struggle and emergence that has represented perseverance and transformation for centuries. Now, the flower embodies the athlete’s journey to the top of the podium and the constant endeavor to achieve. 

The fan ties the elements together. Across Asia, fans carry ceremonial weight – opened at weddings, presented to royalty, used to mark moments of significance. With the completed design, the three pieces radiate outward, locking at the centre, unfolding a story of victories across the continent.

For those that miss out on a place on the podium, there is still some hardware to take home. Each player at every stop will receive a unique pin that echoes the design of that tournament’s medal. A piece of the tour is waiting for everyone that steps on the court.