Help Get Pickleball to the 2028 Olympics Games in Los Angeles
Grant Pickleball Olympic Status
“On behalf of more than five million pickleball players in the United States, we are asking for Pickleball's inclusion as a Demonstration Sport in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Pickleball shares the Olympic values of friendship, excellence, respect, courage, determination, inspiration and equality. It also matches an Olympic vision "to encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view of implementing the principle of equality of men and women."
Athletes of all ages can compete on equal footing in Pickleball. Mixed Doubles is a popular format, and one of the top-ranked female players in the world is a 15-year-old, Anna Leigh Waters. The spirit of fair play prevails in Pickleball. Even at the highest levels, players make in/out line calls, and treat that responsibility with integrity.
Pickleball fits in nicely with other similar Olympics sports, including table tennis, badminton, tennis, and volleyball. It is played in a confined space, (indoors or outdoors); It is easy to televise and understand, and has a predictable elapsed-time finishing point. A sport born in America (Washington State in 1965) is a great fit as a Demonstration Sport for an Olympiad held -here- in the United States.
Pickleball is formally recognized in 70 countries and should grow well beyond that number before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. We, the undersigned, request Pickleball be included as a Demonstration Sport at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Thank you.”
Jerry Sakura, The Zen of Pickleball
