The World Pickleball Games refer to a global team event of Pickleball organized by the World Pickleball Federation. The inaugural edition of the tournament will be played in 2024.
The idea of the World Pickleball Games was developed to ready the sport for contention in Olympics. This can also be visualised in the logo of the World Pickleball Federation which comprises of a center circle surrounded by five other circles, all in colors similar to that of the Olympic rings. Established in 2018, the World Pickleball Federation, headed by Seymour Rifkind has been working incessantly towards the goal of making Pickleball an Olympic sport.
The organizers announced that for the inaugural edition, it was not mandatory for participating nations to be a member of the World Pickleball Federation. Yet, as of 2023, 48 countries and all continental confederations of Pickleball have become a part of the World Pickleball Federation.
The World Pickleball Games are held between 9 teams. Each team can have a minimum of 4 men and 4 women and a maximum of 6 men and 6 women. There is no age limit for the inaugural World Pickleball Games. A team can be accompanied by a coach.
The format of the World Pickleball Games will see matches being played in the following disciplines – men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Each tie will feature 7 matches.
The proposed venue for the World Pickleball Games is Austin, Texas. The games are sponsored by Pickleball Spain, Erasmus Project and Pickle4all.
