By Terry Ryan
On a sunny afternoon in Sarasota, FL, Lieve Olivera and I, Terry Ryan, A.K.A. Pickleball Terry, gave a presentation on pickleball in a conference room in the Selby Library. Julianne Bosch, of the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, had called me a couple of months before and asked if I would be willing to give a talk on pickleball. I replied, “Sure!” I figured I would just give a presentation on what was pickleball all about. However, she requested I put an international spin on the presentation because it was a Sister Cities Association. That’s when I suggested that Julianne get in contact with our local pickleball connection, Lieve Olivera, a certified pickleball coach for Special Olympics, and a Global Pickleball Diplomat appointed by the International Federation of Pickleball.
A few days before the event, I put together a power point presentation. Basically, it was how pickleball started, how it grew, and my start and role in pickleball. But as I was digging in to putting all the info in the slides, it occurred to me how many global connections I have made because of pickleball. Looking at the subscribers to my weekly newsletters, I have subscribers from Thailand and Australia, England and Ireland. I have met people from all over the world at tournaments and played with people like Karen Mitchel from PickleballEngland.org in the World Pickleball Tournament. The tournament director put us together. I would never have met her and other people who live in different countries if it wasn’t for pickleball.
My last US Open partner was from Canada and spoke only French. I soon learned that cuisine was French for kitchen. We are still all friends through Facebook. And I know that I could fly into Ireland and soon find a pickleball court and play games; make friends. That’s the power of pickleball.
But enough about my presentation, Lieve gave a more interesting presentation about the Road to The Olympics.
Steps to the Olympics
- Number of countries that already play/have pickleball.
Currently there are 195 countries (conflicting info…193/195) and presently according to the IFP (International Federation of Pickleball, there are 76 countries that play pickleball.
Many rules and regulations control whether the sport will become part of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Charter indicates that in order to be accepted, a sport 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. The sport must also increase the ‘‘value and appeal’’ of the Olympic Games and retain and reflect its modern traditions. (source: https://www.britannica.com/story/how-are-sports-chosen-for-the-olympics)
2. Financial
What is the cost to host pickleball tournaments? What is the draw? Is it popular enough for the Olympics? Is it a spectator sport?
3. Does it look good on TV? Will advertisers pay to have their commercials on when pickleball is being played?
In the picture above is Theresa Capozzoli, USAPA Ambassador and Special Olympics Pickleball Coach, Lieve Olivera, Special Olympics Pickleball Coach and Global Pickleball Diplomat, and me, Terry Ryan, PPR Certified Coach and owner of SarasotaPickleball.com.
Lieve said we have a long ways to go. Many hurdles to overcome. Somebody in the audience mentioned curling. How did curling pass all these requirements? (Good question!) Lieve said it could be as simple as someone who liked curling to be on the board of directors for the Olympics to pass it through. I asked if changing the name of pickleball to something else might speed up the process? After all, ping pong was changed to table tennis. She didn’t know.
This is from the internet.
In recent years the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has worked to manage the scope of the Olympics by permitting new sports only in conjunction with the simultaneous discontinuation of others. Sports that have already been part of the Games are periodically reviewed to determine whether they should be retained. The Olympic Programme Commission notes that problems have arisen when trying to find venues to accommodate some sports’ specific needs, such as baseball and softball, which were discontinued from Olympic programming after the 2008 Beijing Games. When choosing sports to include in the program, the IOC must take into consideration media and public interest, since these are a key drive behind the Olympic Games, but must simultaneously manage costs.
Anyway, I googled Summer Olympics and I read that breakdancing in now an Olympic sport so I think that maybe in 10 years or less, pickleball just might be in the Olympics. But as Lieve reminded the audience, it’s a long road to the Olympics.
https://www.britannica.com/list/7-canceled-or-reintroduced-olympic-sports
Above link: 7 Canceled or Reintroduce Olympic Sports
To contact me: Dinkpickleball@gmail.com