The Global Pickleball Federation is focused on their dream to “bring pickleball to the World”. This means elevating Pickleball to an Olympic sport in 2032. And their Masterplan and key strategic advantages to do just that has been revealed.
In an exclusive interview with Selkirk TV, Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) board member Chandler Carney offered some Olympic Insights. From unexpected advantages to the status and timeline of achieving the Pickleball Olympic dream. We get an inside look at the inner workings of the GPF and their plan to bring Pickleball to the World.
The Pickleball path to the Podium is clear. Let’s Kick it in.
What is the Global Pickleball Federation
The Global Pickleball Federation is an International Governing body for Pickleball. Established in November 2023, its goal is to unify global pickleball with the highest level of governance. They also aim to develop and advance Pickleball participation, competition and excellence at a grass roots and professional level.
The GPF has a goal to “bring Pickleball to the World”. And their Vision is to participate in the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.
They are lofty goals. Luckily the GPF has some serious talent to achieve them. Chandler Carney is a great example of this. She has become an instrumental part of the Global Pickleball Federation. She joined the GPF Board where she has been volunteering her legal expertise to achieve the Pickleball Dream.
Top 6 GPF Olympic Insights
Carney is very open about the GPF, their Olympic Vision and their masterplan to achieve this goal. Carney had a fantastic chat with Selkirk TV Host Paul Olson on The Legal Side of Adding Pickleball to the Olympics. Let’s take a look at the Top 6 insights from this interview.
1. Pickleball Olympics in 2028 – Not going to Happen
Let’s get this out of the way. The Bros have said that 2032 is the year for the Pickleball Olympics, but many pickleball sites have speculated that 2028 is the year. Carney has confirmed that 2028 “is not going to happen” and the GPF is working towards Olympic inclusion in 2032.
“I’ve seen, you know, talk about pickleball being in the Olympics in 2028. That, in my opinion, is not going to happen. Unfortunately, they’ve already decided what sports are going to be part of the Olympic program in 2028. And besides that, per the Olympic Charter, you have to apply seven years prior to the games. So simple math tells us that, you know our time is up in that regard,”
It’s official folks, time to move on.
2. Two Ways to Get into the 2032 Olympics
The GPF is working hard to “bring pickleball to the world” at a grassroots and professional level. But they need to gain IOC recognition as an “International Federation”. This recognition as a Federation is the first step to get Pickleball into the Olympics.
The common belief is that Pickleball needs 75 countries on the men’s side and 40 countries on the women’s side to be included in the Olympic games. That is one path that can be taken once Pickleball is recognised by the IOC.
When the Bros answered the question Is Pickleball an Olympic Sport, we went into detail here. We explained that the more likely path will use the updated Agenda 2020 Charter. This is where the host nation can request a sport to be on their Olympic program. For example, that is why break dancing was in the Paris 2024 games. Carney confirms the two paths for Olympic inclusion in her interview.
“We could at that point determine if we’re in the right position to submit a petition. The petition can be made through the international Federation. Otherwise the IOC Can directly reach out and request participation as part of the sports program.”
The GPF are doing all the right things for Olympic inclusion, but the 75 countries rule is not the only way into the Olympics. The Updated 2020 Charter is the more likely scenario.
And when the GPF makes that Olympic submission, Pickleball has a few advantages going for it that will improve it’s chances of inclusion. Let’s take a look.
3. Pickleball Advantage #1: A Relationship with the Olympics already exists.
The GPF is already forming relationships with various Olympic committees. They aren’t waiting to submit their application to make their intention known for IOC recognition, they are doing that now. They recently completed a Pickleball clinic in the Olympic Training Center in Santiago, Chile. And the GPF continue to build those relationships, as Carney explains.
“So some other board members as well on the GPF Board have, actually, they’ve been recognized by their national Olympic Committees already I believe. So (we are) definitely starting to form those relationships and start just linking Olympics to pickleball. Anything that we can get, you know, to strengthen that relationship and visibility is going to be key to IOC recognition. “
The Pickleball wheels is already turning. Great news for us all.
4. Pickleball Advantage #2: Pickleball has High Level Female Participation
Pickleball is a gender inclusive sport. Men and women play all over the world, and this is “a huge factor” for the IOC. Carney explains that some sports have difficulties in female participation. But Pickleball doesn’t have that problem as we have a high level of female athletes participating.
“So that’s actually a very strong point for pickleball as a whole. And when it comes to IOC recognition, they’ve really put a spotlight on gender equality. So pickleball can already come in and say, Look, we have this number of female athletes playing at this level, competing internationally. And that’s going to be a very strong point in our favor”
5. Pickleball Advantage #3: The Olympics is trying to Appeal to a younger Demographic
The Olympic games has evolved from its basic track and field events. In Japan 2020, new sports were included to appeal to younger demographic. Carneys insight into why this decision was made is very interesting, and obvious when you think about it. And it’s all about making money.
“Olympics is clearly moving in the direction of trying to appeal to a younger demographic and younger crowd. And why is that? It’s because they are heavily reliant on ticket sales. Not only ticket sales, but media rights and advertising. That’s where the majority of their income comes from. So at the end of the day, they have to consider what’s going to attract the most amount of viewers, right? Sponsorship, sales and media.“
And you could imagine, if Pickleball continues on its current trajectory, Pickleball in the 2032 games could be a huge deal for the IOC. And it would certainly raise Olympic interest across the world for young and old alike.
6. Pickleball Advantage #4: Venue Size is a Positive for Pickleball
Another fantastic insight from Carney is that venue size is important for any event at the games. This has to be taken into consideration by the host nation. Can they cater for the playing field required? Carney explains further.
“We’ve seen baseball and softball in the past, kind of in and out of the Olympics games because of venue size. So venue can also be something that’s an impediment to getting into the games”
This is why Flag football is making it’s Olympic debut in LA 2028. Football field stadiums are huge and aren’t common in many countries. The small size of a Pickleball court AND the volume of courts and facilities available makes Pickleball a great choice for the games.
BIGGEST INSIGHT: GPF Timeline to the 2032 Olympic Games
The road to the 2032 Olympics is very clear after you piece together the key dates that Carney discussed. The GPF is building a global organisation to a tight timeframe. And Carney has specified the priority for the GPF.
“So first things first, is going to become IOC recognition of the GPS as the International Federation”
We have mapped out the timeline as Carney detailed, into a chronological order. Let’s take a look.
October 2025: GPF expanding and signing up Member Countries
The GPF is focused on IOC recognition as an International Federation. The GPF has been designed as a “democratic institution” and has over 50 member countries so far. Carney says that “That number continues to grow, I’d say, weekly, as we see more and more countries continue to form their national foundations.”
The GPF are working towards the old Olympics charter where any new sport added has to be widely practiced by men and women, across continents. Carney says “that’s a must”.
The GPF is also working to expand Pickleball globally. They are getting rules out translated in different languages and making resources available for many countries. They are also sending out pickleball equipment and funding to the countries that need it most. The GPF is signing up these member countries from around the world to join as a member country.
July 2025: IOC Application to be recognised as an International Federation
Carney has already specified that per the Olympic Charter, an application must be made at least 7 years before the games. The exact cut-off for that 7 years is unknown, but the Olympic games are always in July. So it makes sense that the IOC application should be submitted before July 2025.
The GPF has the organisational structure in place. Once they have enough member countries to represent a global organisation, they can submit an application, as Carney explains.
“Sure, if we have enough member countries signed on by that point, we’re very hopeful that we will then, and we’re in a position to make the application, it’s a large application, it has to be done properly, hopefully from the get go. So I think that it could be a very good moment, a defining moment, to make that request to the IOC.”
November 2025: GPF Annual Conference and Board Election
The key month for the GPF is November 2025. This is when the GPF will have its first Annual Congress. This is where members will be able to vote and elect a board for the Global Pickleball Federation. This Board will then take on their new duties from January 1st 2026.
There are 15 board member positions available in the GPF. The current board has representation from across the world, from Africa to Canada to Australia down to South America. And the elected Board will likely touch all corners of the world, to make the GPF a true, global organisation.
July 2028: Olympic Announcement
The official announcement of any new events in an Olympic games must take place before the proceeding games. This means that in early July 2028, a week before the Los Angeles games takes place, the new events will be announced. And we will learn the fate of Pickleball entering the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
July 2032: Olympic Games Event
If Successful, it’s GO TIME. The Brisbane 2032 Olympic games will bring Pickleball to the world if selected.
How to Support the GPF and Their Olympic Vision
Carney suggested that Pickleball players can support the GPF. And there are three key things we can all do to support their vision to bring Pickleball to the world.
- Follow the Global Pickleball Federation on Social Media
- Support your national Governing body, maybe even become a member
- Lead the grassroots efforts in your local community through that growth that helps Pickleball grow organically
Final Thoughts
The Global Pickleball Federation has a dream to bring Pickleball to the world. And Chandler Carney is a key part of that driving force, that will ultimately lead to Pickleball being an event in the 2032 Olympics. The insights and enthusiasm of Carney are fascinating and the interview is worth watching.
Now we know what has to happen and we have a timeline of events. All we can do is support the GPF and cheer them on, as they achieve the Pickleball Dream. And we can all play our part as lovers of the sport.
As supporters of Pickleball, we just need to keep playing, keep having fun and we can spread the word. Let’s do it.
Pickle on!
The Aussie Pickleball Bros.