Pickleball is everywhere these days and if you play, you know why. With its quick pace, simple rules, and fun community it’s earned its spot as America’s fastest growing sport. And with that title comes the inevitable question: will pickleball olympics be something we see in the coming years?

Currently, pickleball is not an olympic sport. However, there is a chance it could become one in either the 2024 Paris games or the 2028 Los Angeles games. We can’t know for sure, but 2024 seems very unlikely.

Why isn’t pickleball an olympic sport

Pickleball’s sister sports of tennis, badminton, and table tennis are all already part of the olympics. But pickleball that has had a slower rise to national prominence remains on the sidelines.

If you play and are involved in your pickleball scene, it won’t surprise you to hear that there is a strong grassroots movement to get pickleball included in the Olympics. Us pickleballers are enthusiastic and passionate about the sport — folk everywhere are working hard to make it more visible.

In addition, the rise of professional pickleball could work help the cause. Organizations like USA pickleball, the APP, the PPA, and the MLP (lots of acronyms I know) all stand to gain bringing the game to the world’s biggest international competition. As the premium professional organizations in the states, the more worldwide interest they can generate, the better.

However, not everyone is as stoked on the idea of pickleball in the olympics. Critics say the sport is still relatively new, and it lacks the infrastructure and organization of more established sports like tennis or badminton. They also argue that pickleball is still too small and too localized to be included in the Olympics.

The good news is that this opposition is small. And if the addition of skateboarding, climbing, and surfing in the 2020 games are any indication of what the International Olympic Committee has in plan for the future, pickleball is shoe-in to be added.

Professional pickleball history

Pickleball was invented in 1965 in Washington state. It was originally designed for family fun, but it quickly gained popularity and spread to other states. In 1976, the first professional pickleball tournament was held at South Center Athletic Club in Tukwila, Washington. Many of the participants were actually tennis players that were unfamiliar with the rules, but gave it their best shot.

In the 1980s, more pickleball tournaments were organized first in Washington, and then beyond. The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (U.S.A.P.A.) was created to help fuel the growth of the sport and push it into the national spotlight. In 2020, they rebranded to USA Pickleball and are the official pickleball organization of the US.

Today, professional pickleball is played in over 50 countries and is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

International Pickleball competitions

Pickleball has started to emerge on the competitive world sport’s stage. It has been included in a few multi-sport events, such as the Asia Pacific Senior Games, the Mediterranean Beach Games, and the Central American and Caribbean Games. It was also included in the 2019 Pan American Games as a demonstration sport. This is a big step, and it shows that pickleball is slowly but surely becoming more popular and more accepted as an official sport. The future of pickleball in the Olympics is uncertain, but it is clear that there is a strong movement to make it happen.

Wrap Up

Pickleball enthusiasts are passionate about their sport, and they will continue to work to promote it and make it more visible. It may be a few more years before pickleball is ready for the Olympics, but there’s no doubt one day soon, it’s going to make it.