WORLD PICKLEBALL GAMES
By Karen Mitchell
DIRECTOR , PICKLEBALL ENGLAND
Around the World
Every pickleball player
that I talk to wants to see pickleball get into the Olympics . There are many barriers to overcome to get there , but I believe that 2022 ’ s World Pickleball Games will be one of the key stepping stones in the quest .
The participation of lots of countries , sending their best teams of 8-12 men and women to compete on their behalf , is an exciting development . Being part of the FIRST World Pickleball Games will mean that for the first time in pickleball history , the world — not just the USA — can be part of that history . I am getting goosebumps thinking about it !
“ I cannot wait to be a part of Team England and represent my country on a world stage ! It will be an honour to play for England and I hope the team and I can play our best and have a real shot at competing for the title !” – Louis Laville , England ’ s Men ’ s # 1
So far , pickleball has had the Bainbridge Cup , where players play for one of two teams :
• 2017 ( Spain ) North America ( 200 ) v . Europe ( 102 )
• 2018 ( Italy ) North America ( 106 ) v . Europe ( 82 )
• 2019 ( Germany ) World ( 197 ) v . Europe ( 177 )
There is no selection process ; anyone who enters the Bainbridge Cup gets to play four games ( two doubles and two mixed doubles ) representing their team . You can see from the results that the points difference was reducing from year to year . We were convinced that Europe would win the Cup in 2020 when we were going to host it in England but had to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
At the World Pickleball Championships in February , there was a one-day team competition . It was Team USA with Captain Ben Johns versus Team World with Captain Steve Deakin . The teams were made up of 12 professional players selected by the team captains . Sadly , due to COVID-19 , the two team captains and some of the players couldn ’ t compete . Team USA ended up winning , 8 points to 6 , but Team World actually scored more points overall ( 180 , USA ; 199 , World )!
“ Talent wins games , but teamwork and intelligence win championships .” – Michael Jordan
With the World Pickleball Games , each country ’ s national governing body will select a team of 8-12 players ( 4-6 men and 4-6 women ). This will be the first time countries will have the opportunity to develop a selection process . Pickleball England has already identified a Selection Committee to manage this process and they are looking forward to joining the World Pickleball Games Summit to find out more about the format of the competition , player eligibility criteria , etc . We have already discussed the prospect of staging an English Nationals tournament to give players the opportunity to qualify for the selection process . We are anticipating learning more about the sponsorship package that WPF is providing each team entered , to enable them to secure sponsorship to fund the cost of taking their team to the Games .
The Games are taking place at the Austin Pickle Ranch in Texas . Austin is a vibrant city with great travel connections , lots of hotels , and great music and technology credentials . WPF officials have stated that they are hosting the first World Pickleball Games so that they can define the playbook for future Games , which member countries can then develop a bid to host . Pickleball England will definitely be looking at creating a business case to develop a tournament venue capable of hosting a future Games , because that will give us a National Centre where we can host our flagship