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Pickleball pros hope America's fastest growing sport can make the Olympics

Pickleball pros hope America's fastest growing sport can make the Olympics
PICKLEBALL COURTS. PICKLE BALL. IT’S NOT JUST FAST PACED PLASTIC BALLS FLYING. IT’S THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT IN AMERICA. IT SOUNDS LIKE AN HORS D’OEUVRE. IT SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE A DRINK. NO, IT’S NOT A DRINK OR EVEN A FOOD. BUT THERE IS A KITCHEN. IT’S LIKE PING PONG AND TENNIS. HAD A BABY AND THEY NAMED IT PICKLEBALL. BUT THEY HAD THE BABY ON A BADMINTON COURT, NOT A HOSPITAL WITH A KITCHEN. THAT’S IT. JOHN GILL IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION. HE’S ONE OF THE PEOPLE LEADING THE CHARGE TO GET PICKLEBALL IN THE OLYMPICS. I WANT PICKLEBALL TO BRING THE WORLD TOGETHER AND PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND TO HAVE FUN AND HAPPINESS IN THEIR LIFE. THESE SACRAMENTO AREA PROFESSIONAL PICKLEBALL PLAYERS AGREE IT’S ALREADY BECOME SO POPULAR IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IT’S BROUGHT SO MANY PEOPLE TOGETHER OF ALL AGES. AND I THINK IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DO THAT IN OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL. YOU KNOW, UNITE PEOPLE WHO ARE EIGHT YEARS OLD AND EIGHT YEARS OLD. IT’S TOTALLY DIGESTIBLE, LIKE AS SOON AS YOU EXPLAIN IN LIKE TEN MINUTES, SOMEONE CAN LEARN THE RULES OF THE GAME AND BE ABLE TO WATCH BEFORE YOU SEE THESE PROFESSIONAL PICKLEBALL PLAYERS DINKING FOR TEAM USA IN THE OLYMPICS. A LOT OF THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN. IN FACT, WE DEFINITELY KNOW IT WON’T BE THE 2028 OLYMPICS IN LOS ANGELES. IF WE’RE LUCKY, THERE WILL BE AN EXHIBITION GAME, BUT THE EARLIEST WE COULD SEE PICKLEBALL AS AN OLYMPIC SPORT COULD BE 2032 AND BEYOND. YES, IT IS GOING TO TAKE A WHILE. IT’S BECAUSE THE RULES RIGHT NOW ARE ALMOST DIFFERENT EVERY TOURNAMENT, EVERY OTHER TOURNAMENT. SO UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT LIKE ESPECIALLY THE BALLS WITH THEIR SWITCHING TO A DIFFERENT BALL EVERY TOURNAMENT, ALMOST NOW. SO UNTIL THE RULES AND EVERYTHING GETS LIKE CORRECT FOR EACH TOURNAMENT, IT’S ALL THE SAME. EVEN IN OTHER TOURNAMENTS. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE MUST FIRST RECOGNIZE IT AS A SPORT. AND ACCORDING TO THE OLYMPIC CHARTER, IT MUST BE WIDELY PRACTICED BY MEN IN AT LEAST 75 COUNTRIES AND ON FOUR CONTINENTS, AND BY WOMEN IN NO FEWER THAN 40 COUNTRIES, AND ON THREE CONTINENTS. BUT WE HAVE TO REALLY COME TOGETHER. AND I THINK THE MAIN THING IS COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD HAVING THEIR FEDERATIONS IN EACH COUNTRY AND THEN APPROVING IT TOWARDS THE OLYMPICS FOR ENOUGH COUNTRIES PLAYING, I THINK EVERY KID EVER THAT’S SUPER ATHLETIC, DREAMS OF DOING SOMETHING IN THE OLYMPICS. AND I DON’T KNOW IF I’LL MAKE IT, BUT I’LL DEFINITELY TRY MY HARDEST TO GET THERE IN THE MEANTIME, THIS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE COURT SPORT WILL CONTINUE TO SWEEP THIS COUNTRY IN SACRAMENTO DINKING AROU
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Pickleball pros hope America's fastest growing sport can make the Olympics
Pickleball is not just fast-paced plastic balls flying. It's the fastest-growing sport in America.Professional pickleball player David Wallace says pickleball is fun with a fun name. "It sounds like an order. What is going to serve you a pickleball?" Wallace said. "It sounds kind of like a drink." But it's not a drink, even though there is a kitchen.John Gill is the president of the World Pickleball Association. "If ping pong and tennis had a baby and they named it pickleball, but they had the baby in a badminton court, not a hospital and with a kitchen," he explained. Gill is one of the people leading the charge to get pickleball into the Olympics."That's why I really want pickleball to bring the world together and people together and to have fun and happiness in their life, and sport is very important for that," he said. Sacramento area professional pickleball players like Ciara Kelly, David Litvinov and Wallace agree."I think it would be a great Olympic sport because it's already become so popular in the United States and it's brought so many people together of all ages," Kelly said. "And I think it has the potential to do that in other countries as well. You know, unite people who are 8 years old and 80 years old."Wallace called the sport "totally digestible." "Like, as soon as you explain it in like 10 minutes, someone can learn the rules of the game and be able to watch. So whether it's for TV, whether it's for Olympics or whatever, it's so easy to watch," he said. But before you see these professional pickleball players in the Olympics, a lot of things have to happen. At the earliest, the sport could be included in the 2032 Games.Litvinov said the reason why it's going to take a while is because the rules differ by tournament now. "So until they figure out, like, especially the balls, they're switching to a different ball every tournament almost now," he said. But most importantly, the International Olympic Committee must first recognize it as a sport. According to the Olympic charter, it must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents."We have to really come together and I think the main thing is countries around the world having their federations and each country, and then approving it towards Olympics for enough countries playing," Gill said. Kelly believes it will happen. "I really want it to happen," Kelly said. "I think every kid ever that had super athletic dreams of doing something in the Olympics, and I don't know if I'll make it, but I'll definitely try my hardest to get there." In the meantime, this highly addictive court sport will continue to sweep the country.

Pickleball is not just fast-paced plastic balls flying. It's the fastest-growing sport in America.

Professional pickleball player David Wallace says pickleball is fun with a fun name.

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"It sounds like an order. What is going to serve you a pickleball?" Wallace said. "It sounds kind of like a drink."

But it's not a drink, even though there is a kitchen.

John Gill is the president of the World Pickleball Association.

"If ping pong and tennis had a baby and they named it pickleball, but they had the baby in a badminton court, not a hospital and with a kitchen," he explained.

Gill is one of the people leading the charge to get pickleball into the Olympics.

"That's why I really want pickleball to bring the world together and people together and to have fun and happiness in their life, and sport is very important for that," he said.

Sacramento area professional pickleball players like Ciara Kelly, David Litvinov and Wallace agree.

"I think it would be a great Olympic sport because it's already become so popular in the United States and it's brought so many people together of all ages," Kelly said. "And I think it has the potential to do that in other countries as well. You know, unite people who are 8 years old and 80 years old."

Wallace called the sport "totally digestible."

"Like, as soon as you explain it in like 10 minutes, someone can learn the rules of the game and be able to watch. So whether it's for TV, whether it's for Olympics or whatever, it's so easy to watch," he said.

But before you see these professional pickleball players in the Olympics, a lot of things have to happen. At the earliest, the sport could be included in the 2032 Games.

Litvinov said the reason why it's going to take a while is because the rules differ by tournament now.

"So until they figure out, like, especially the balls, they're switching to a different ball every tournament almost now," he said.

But most importantly, the International Olympic Committee must first recognize it as a sport. According to the Olympic charter, it must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents.

"We have to really come together and I think the main thing is countries around the world having their federations and each country, and then approving it towards Olympics for enough countries playing," Gill said.

Kelly believes it will happen.

"I really want it to happen," Kelly said. "I think every kid ever that had super athletic dreams of doing something in the Olympics, and I don't know if I'll make it, but I'll definitely try my hardest to get there."

In the meantime, this highly addictive court sport will continue to sweep the country.