Is Pickleball an Olympic Sport: Not yet, But Soon in 2032

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the World. It’s a classic raquet sport mashup, with elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It’s a sport that is played by all people of all ages with any level of sporting ability. Anyone can play it, so everyone loves it.

The universal appeal of Pickleball is why people are asking Is Pickleball an Olympic Sport? Surely such a global sensation should be added to the Olympic games? In this blog post, we examine Pickleball’s status as an Olympic sport, what has to happen for Pickleball to get into the Olympics. And we explore Agenda 2020 and the new criteria Pickleball must meet to earn a spot in the Olympic Games.

The Bros are going for Gold as we answer Is Pickleball an Olympic Sport.


  1. Updated Olympic Charter for New Sports: The Olympic Charter was revised in 2014 to allow new Sports in the Olympic Games. This is called “Agenda 2020” and new niche sports were first introduced in the Tokyo 2020 games.
  2. Three Steps to Qualify for the Olympics: An Olympic Games Organising Committee can propose Pickleball to the IOC, with three steps to be completed for success.
    The old rules of 74 countries and 4 continents no longer apply.
  3. Pickleball in 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games: The Los Angeles 2028 games has already selected it’s new sports, the next opportunity is the Brisbane 2032 Olympic games.

Is Pickleball An Olympic Sport

Pickleball is not an Olympic sport… yet. But the introduction of “Agenda 2020” into the Olympic Charter will help fast track Pickleball into the Olympics.

As we detail below, three things need to happen.

  1. The Organising committee for the Olympic games must select Pickleball for inclusion (due to new Agenda 2020 Charter).
  2. Pickleball must be governed by an “International Federation” recognized by the IOC.
  3. The IOC must approve a Pickleball submission based on a list of rules and guidelines.

Pickleball must first meet these three criteria for any chance to succeed in it’s Olympic dream. Let’s take a look at Agenda 2020 and what it means for Pickleball’s bid to get into the Olympic games.


Agenda 2020: Olympic Program Evolution

The original Olympics charter made it difficult for new sports to be included into the Olympics. It required that a sport needed to be widely practiced in at least 75 countries across four continents for men. And 40 countries and three continents for women to be considered for an Olympic games.

The Olympic Charter was updated in 2014 with the Introduction of Agenda 2020. This gives the Olympic Games Organising Committee a more interactive role to shape the Olympic program. This gives the Organising Committee the power to propose one or more additional events for inclusion to their specific edition of the games.

The Tokyo games was the first edition where this ability to propose new sports was included in an Olympic games. The Tokyo Organising Committee introduced five new sports, which included Karate and surfing.

Is-Pickleball-an-Olympic-Sport-Karate-in-Tokyo-2020
Spain’s Sandra Sanchez Jaime at the Tokyo Games in 2020

The old Olympic charter is no longer relevant for sports like Pickleball. But there are still a few hurdles for Pickleball to jump over to achieve the Olympic Dream. Let’s take a look at how Pickleball can qualify for an Olympic games.


How Can Pickleball Qualify for the Olympics

Agenda 2020 is the golden ticket to make Pickleball an Olympic Sport. The ability for an Olympic Games Organising Committee to propose new sports is part of a new Olympic strategy. The intention is to incorporate new flexibility into the way events are chosen. And to introduce more innovation with a focus on getting Youth involved and interested in the games.

Let’s take a look at the three criteria that must be achieved for Pickleball to become an Olympic sport.

Step 1: Organising Committee Must Select Pickleball for Inclusion

This is the biggest hurdle to get Pickleball into the Olympic games. The Organising Committee of the Olympic Games must select Pickleball to be included and then they can propose it to the IOC for inclusion. As specified on the Olympic Games website, it says:

“…As part of this new process the Organising Committee of a specific edition of the Olympic Games may propose to the IOC the inclusionof one or more additional events from the sports governed by the IOC Recognised (sports goverened by the) International Federations.”

Unfortunately, there are many sports that will lobby the committee for inclusion. And there are limited spots available. This milestone will be difficult for Pickleball because although it is popular, it is still a relatively new sport. The committee might not like Pickleball and select something else.

Or the committee might know and love Pickleball and believe it would be a fantastic new sport for an Olympic games. We don’t know how this process works, who is on the committee or how new sports are selected.

Step 2: Pickleball Must be Governed by an International Federation

The Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) was established in 2021 to create leadership, organisation and structure globally for Pickleball. The GPF is led by member countries and it provides leadership and governance globally.

The GPF is the global body for Pickleball and it can be considered as an “International Federation”. But for Pickleball to be recognised by the IOC for Olympic consideration and approval, Pickleball must be recognised as an International Federation. This means that the following conditions must be met:

“To be recognised by the IOC, a sport must first of all be governed by an International Federation (IF). This is required in order to conform to the Rules of the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code as well as the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions.”

Currently, GPF membership requires that countries commit to “observe and abide by the World Anti-Doping Code” . And abiding to “prevent manipulation” is a no-brainer for any sport. So it seems like the GPF is already ticking all the boxes for IOC recognition and conforming to the Olympic charter.
Woo-Hoo.

Step 3: IOC Approval of the Pickleball Submission

There is a long submission process to receive an IOC approval to become an Olympic sport under the Agenda 2020 process. Let’s take a detailed look at the steps required, which can be a little technical. Brace yourselves…

  • To gain IOC approval, the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) as an International Federation (IF) must submit a proposal for Olympic inclusion. This proposal will go through a strict review and decision making process led by the Olympic Programme Commission.
  • The Olympic Programme Commission includes representatives of athletes, International Federations and National Olympic Committees.
  • In cooperation with the International Federation (Global Pickleball Federation) and the respective Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (whoever is hosting that year), a recommendation is made and submitted to the IOC.
  • The IOC will evaluate the submissions using rules and guides that help members decide on the Olympic program. Some key factors the IOC will consider for new sports include the sports history, popularity, business model and value-add potential.
  • Ultimately, the final decision to include Pickleball as an Olympic Games event is decided by the IOC Executive Board.

As you can see, this process is deep and many people and organisations are involved. But from what we have covered so far, Pickleball is already on the way. The wheels are in motion to get Pickleball into the Olympic games, the only question remaining now is…. WHEN?


When Will Pickleball Become an Olympic Sport

If Pickleball was to appear in an Olympic games, the next opportunity would be in Brisbane 2032. The Los Angeles games in 2028 has already chosen its new events (Baseball/Softball, Lacrosse, Cricket, Flag Football and Squash). The Brisbane Olympics are yet to announce any new events, and will likely do so in the next 2-4 years.


What Other New Sports Were Added to the Olympics

The Agenda 2020 strategy has opened up the possibility for Pickleball to be an Olympic event. It seems crazy that it could even be considered. But crazier choices for new sporting events have been made. Let’s take a look at the new sporting events that have been added over the years.

  • Tokyo Olympic Games 2020: Skateboarding, surfing, karate and sport climbing were added to the Tokyo games.
  • Paris Olympics Games 2024: Skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and breaking are the four non-traditional sports to appear at the Paris Games. With Breaking, also known as Break dancing to make its Olympic debut.
  • Los Angeles Olympics 2028: The LA games will feature five new sports, including Baseball/Softball, Lacrosse and Cricket all returning to the Olympic games. While Flag Football and Squash will make their Olympic debut.
  • Brisbane Olympics 2032: New sports for the Brisbane games have not been decided. Australian sporting groups are throwing their hat into the ring. Cricket, lawn bowls, mixed martial arts, squash and softball have all shown an interest to take part.

READ MORE: Head over to our Pickleball Olympics 2032 page to get the latest news and analysis on achieving our Olympic Pickleball Dream in 2032.


Final Thoughts

There we go, The Bros have come through with the goods again. We are constantly asked “Is Pickleball in the Olympics” and it makes us sad. We respond and say Pickleball isn’t an Olympic sport… Yet. The good news is the Global Pickleball Federation is moving in the right direction. And all the good people in all the Pickleball organisations are working to make this Olympic Dream happen.

We believe it is not a matter of IF Pickleball will be an Olympic sport. It is just a matter of WHEN. And if Breakdancing has made it to Paris in 2024, we can only hope Pickleball will make its debut in 2032.

Let us know what you think our chances for 2032 are.

Pickle On!

The Aussie Pickleball Bros.


Resources

This post was thoroughly researched to ensure the information is up to date and accurate, using the following references. Information sourced from Wikipedia is incorrect and over 10 years out of date. This is the most current information available, mostly from the Olympics website.

Leave a Comment