Latest news with #Pickleball
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
A Montreal pickleball tournament hopes to produce the best talent in the province
MTL Pickleball is hosting its first ever minor league tournament that gives athletes a path to compete in the U.S. and from there, a shot at qualifying for the Pickleball World Cup in 2026.
CBC
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
A Montreal pickleball tournament hopes to produce the best talent in the province
MTL Pickleball is hosting its first ever minor league tournament that gives athletes a path to compete in the U.S. and from there, a shot at qualifying for the Pickleball World Cup in 2026.
CNA
5 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Sports-Top-ranked Waters shines at ESPYs as pickleball steps into the spotlight
LOS ANGELES :Pickleball phenom Anna Leigh Waters became the first athlete from her sport to attend the ESPY Awards, marking what she called a "super cool" milestone both for herself and the rapidly growing game. "It's amazing for me to be here, but also for the sport that I'm able to be here and represent pickleball," Waters told Reuters at the annual event that was held on Wednesday to celebrate the best in sports. "I'm the first pickleball athlete to be at the ESPYs, so it's an honor." Waters, 18, has emerged as one of pickleball's brightest prospects as the sport surges in popularity across the United States and beyond. She believes the game's accessibility is fuelling its rapid growth. "Everyone can play it," she said. "I say it's easy to learn, hard to master. Any age, anywhere around the world, people just love to play pickleball. So I think that's why it's so popular. Everybody can play with everybody." Waters, who turned pro at 12 years old, is on a 69-match winning streak in singles and has won 163 gold medals in her career, making her arguably one of the most dominant athletes in the world. She said she is on a mission to prove pickleball is more than just a backyard pastime for retirees. "What we're trying to show people is that it's a much younger sport and that it can be very competitive," she said. With pickleball's expansion into mainstream sports culture, Waters is already setting her sights on a bigger stage. "I hope pickleball will be in the Olympics. A lot of people are saying Australia," she said, referring to the 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane. "I'll be 25, so hopefully I'll be able to compete. That would be amazing. So looking forward to Australia for sure." As she mingled with some of the biggest names in sports, Waters reflected on pickleball's meteoric rise. "It's definitely blowing up. It is starting to snowball," she said. "Seeing it rise and being able to rise with it has been an experience I won't forget." Pickleball - a hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong - has exploded in popularity in recent years, experiencing 311 per cent growth over the past three years, with attendance, sponsorships, and revenue all reflecting that remarkable surge.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Ancient Chinese played football? Ball games popular in China centuries ago
Pickleball is experiencing rapid growth across Asia, gaining popularity in countries including China, Japan and Thailand. Invented in the 1960s by American businessman and politician Joel Pritchard, who went on to become the lieutenant governor of the US state of Washington, pickleball is at once tennis and ping pong, and everything in between. The name of the game has more to do with the 'pickle boat' in the sport of rowing, reflecting its patrician origins, rather than with processed cabbages and cucumbers. In Malaysia, many purpose-built pickleball recreational centres have sprung up, with attached restaurants, cafes and shops, reflecting the social aspect of the sport. Pickleball is a racket sport invented by an American that has become popular in Asia. An entire industry, involving venues, coaches, equipment and apparel, has grown within the last year or so, buoyed by the increasing popularity of the sport. It is even making inroads in schools.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
ODT Sports Chat: Pickleball
On ODT Sports Chat this week brought to you by the Edgar Centre we head out there to find out what Pickle ball is all about and why it is a worldwide craze? We briefly talk to Blair Crawford the stadium manager to make some sense of the 'leaky roof' situation. We also stumble across some low flying planes in the stadium so we stop to see what the fuss is about. Oh yes then we get into Pickle Ball!!
