By: Presley Andras ’26
Pickleball, created in 1965, is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong that can be played in either single or doubles on a rectangular court with a net in the middle. Before the year 2020, 3.5 million people played the sport worldwide and once the pandemic hit, these numbers grew by 21.4% and these numbers keep rising exponentially every day making pickleball America’s fastest growing sport. The last report in 2022 counted 8.9 million consistent pickleball players. Another report counts 36.5 million people playing in just America.
With pickleball taking over the country, gyms and leisure facilities invest in new pickleball courts and events catering the trend. Right now, in the United States, there are over 38,000 indoor and outdoor pickleball courts. Extreme pickleball players or – as they call themselves – ‘picklers’, even built new courts in their backyard. And for pickers without the space or money to do so, they would buy pickleball nets and rackets and make a custom pickleball court in their backyards and driveways.
Pickleball’s popularity started mostly among adults, particularly over the age of fifty. Each year after the pandemic pickleball gets younger and younger and now 28.8% of picklers make up the age group of 18–34-year-olds, making them the largest bracket of pickleball players. Men make up 60.1% of pickleball players while women make up 39.5%. Although, this number is increasing at a rapid pace with the women’s growth increasing by 17.1% in 2021.
For some people, pickleball is a great alternative to tennis if you like the game but feel as though you aren’t the best at the sport. Pickleball is fast and easy to learn and it’s much slower paced than tennis. There is also less ground to cover in a pickleball court in contrast to a tennis court. For reference, you can fit almost four pickleball courts into only one tennis court. Along with all those benefits, most anyone can learn to play the game. The sport has been modified for accessibility so you can play standing or in a wheelchair, indoors or out. Some doctors even say that it is safer than tennis for people with heart issues.
Since pickleball has risen so much in popularity over the past few years, the rising question people are asking is: Will pickleball be in the 2024 summer Olympics?
As for now, pickleball is not considered to be an Olympic sport and will not be in the Olympic games in 2024.
Even though pickleball is a favorite around the world, there is process that a sport must undergo to even be considered as a game in the Olympics. The first step for a sport to get added to the Olympics, is for the sport to get recognized by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). Usually, they decide through a vote during the annual IOC Session if a sport is eligible for the Olympic games. Next a sport needs to undergo a conventional method of being added to the Olympics program. This usually happens when the International Federalization campaigns to the IOC board and member to add the sport to the next games. Normally a sport needs to be added 7 or more years in advance, so because the International Federation of Pickleball was only recognized in 2023, pickleball can not be added to the Olympics any earlier than 2030.
Pickleball may have to wait for 2030 to officially become an Olympic sport, but 2030 seems to be a realistic option. With the sport’s popularity increasing worldwide everyday it is just a matter of time until pickleball joins the ranks of the Olympics and brings America homes Gold medals.
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