Manitoba 55+ Games Pickleball Medalists: From June 3 to 5, more than 1,000 senior athletes gathered in Steinbach, Manitoba, for the 2025 Manitoba 55+ Games. Among them, three local pickleball players from Ritchot and Niverville returned home with medals. But despite the celebrations, future national events face cancellation due to lack of funding.
Strong Performances on the Pickleball Court
Neal Hastings from St. Adolphe and his partner Ken Bradford from St. Andrews earned a silver medal in the 60–64 age group in the 4.0 category—the highest level in the Games.
“I won a gold medal in Halifax in the men’s 60+ [category] last year,”. “I’ve won a few gold medals in provincial tournaments over the years, so I kind of hoped I’d do better.”(Neal Hastings)
Neal Hastings and his wife also play mixed doubles together. They’ve earned gold in the 2022 and 2024 Manitoba Games, and silver in 2023 and 2025. Hastings plays year-round, including winters down south and locally at the Dakota Community Centre.
He is also helping organize the upcoming Pickleball Canada National Championships in Winnipeg. The event already has over 700 players registered and will be held at the Taylor Tennis Centre with 32 courts.
“It’s physical fitness, it’s a whole bunch of laughs, and it’s getting together with [friends] three times a week and just having a good time,”
Hastings says about the sport’s popularity among seniors.
New Players Make Their Mark
In the 60–64 age group at the 3.0 level, Perry Daigle from St. Pierre-Jolys and his partner Ron Poirier, staff sergeant of the St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP, also won silver.
Daigle had only competed in small tournaments in Niverville before this.
“The facilities [in Steinbach] were wonderful,”. “They had nine courts in the new arena. I’d never made it to the finals anywhere before, so [it was interesting that] they had a referee monitoring the [lines] and the score.”(Perry Daigle)
The final game was very close. Daigle and Poirier led 11–10 before their opponents made a comeback.
Daigle picked up pickleball two years ago and credits his old ping pong skills for helping him adapt.
“It’s the size of the court and the number of people,”. “You have only a little bit of real estate to look after, which is doable for people our age.”(Perry Daigle)
Switching Sports, Staying Active
Gerard Gill of St. Adolphe and partner Gary Gerylo competed in the 65–69 age group at the 3.0 level. This was Gill’s second time at the Manitoba Games.
He used to play badminton, even competing at the U.S. national seniors games.
“The switch to pickleball was necessitated by my shoulder,”. “All those overhead strokes in badminton and my shoulder said, ‘That’s enough!’ So I took up pickleball.”(Gerard Gill)
Gill says he enjoys these events more for the social side than for winning.
“I thought [the Steinbach Games] were really well run,”. “The times were accurate and it flowed really well. I hadn’t been in that Southeast Event Centre before and it’s gorgeous.”(Gerard Gill)
Future of National Games in Trouble
The Manitoba 55+ Games happen every two years in odd-numbered years. Winners usually qualify for the Canada 55+ Games the next year. However, the 2026 national games in Winnipeg have been postponed to 2028.
“This is such an unfortunate situation where we have a national event that encourages so many seniors to stay both physically and mentally active, and yet, despite constant door knocking, emails, and grant applications, we can’t find the funding to support it,”
says Canadian Senior Games Association President Dave Finn.
The organization urges supporters to contact their Members of Parliament to push for government support.
News in Brief: Manitoba 55+ Games Pickleball Medalists
Three local pickleballers from Ritchot and Niverville won medals at the 2025 Manitoba 55+ Games in Steinbach. While the event was a success, the Canada 55+ Games in 2026 are postponed due to funding problems. Organizers urge government support to keep national events going for senior athletes.