Could Pickleball Make Its Olympic Debut: Pickleball is not yet an Olympic sport, but its growing popularity across the globe has sparked interest in seeing it one day featured at the Summer Games. The sport has gained traction in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, but still faces several challenges before it can be added to the Olympics.
Why Pickleball Is Not in the Olympics
To become an Olympic sport, pickleball must be played by men in 75 countries across four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries across three continents. Right now, the sport is growing fast, but its reach is still mostly limited to a few countries.
The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) has yet to be recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This recognition is a critical step in getting any sport into the Olympic program.
Pickleball also lacks a consistent, global competition system. While events like the Carvana PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP) exist, a unified structure is needed. The sport would also need to appear in multi-sport events like the Pan American Games or the Asian Games to show it’s ready.
All Olympic sports must follow strict rules, such as the World Anti-Doping Code and policies to prevent match-fixing. Pickleball must still put these rules in place across its international community.
Another barrier is limited Olympic space. New sports like skateboarding, surfing, and climbing were added for their youth appeal and global interest. Pickleball needs similar worldwide excitement to be considered.
The Path to Olympic Inclusion
Despite these challenges, pickleball’s rapid growth is encouraging. The global community must now focus on expanding the sport into more countries and standardizing competition.
There’s also a special opportunity. Host cities can suggest new sports for their Olympics. Since the 2032 Summer Olympics will be held in Brisbane, Australia—where pickleball is gaining popularity—there’s hope it might be proposed.
The IOC would then review the host city’s suggestion. For example, Tokyo added baseball/softball, surfing, karate, skateboarding, and sport climbing to the 2020 Olympics through this method.
Looking Ahead
While pickleball is unlikely to appear in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, it could have a chance at the 2032 Games in Australia. The sport still has work to do—growing internationally, following Olympic rules, and building a consistent competition format.
With continued effort, support, and promotion, pickleball could one day join the list of Olympic sports and showcase its unique appeal on the world’s biggest stage.
News in Brief: Could Pickleball Make Its Olympic Debut
Pickleball is not yet an Olympic sport due to limited global reach, lack of IOC recognition, and missing regulations. But with fast growth and a potential chance at the 2032 Brisbane Games, the future looks bright. Host cities can propose sports, giving pickleball a possible path to Olympic inclusion.
ALSO READ: Quang Duong’s Olympic Dream: Can Pickleball Reach the Global Stage?