Pickleballers to return
Kelowna will again play host to national championships for fast-growing sport
For the third straight year, the Canadian pickleball championships will be held in Kelowna. More than 420 players, threequarters from outside the Central Okanagan, are expected for the three-day tournament July 7-9.
“Pickleball Canada came to us again asking if we’d host the championship,” said Wayne Pierce of Pickleball Kelowna.
“I think it’s just the great feedback they get from people who’ve come to previous championships, about what a great host city Kelowna is, and how there’s so much to see and do here,” Pierce said.
Last year’s championships drew top pickleball competitors from every province and 18 U.S. states.
“There’s a syndicated-radio pickleball program in the States, and some of the top American players were really raving about what a fantastic time they had in Kelowna,” Pierce said.
Pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis and badminton, is particularly popular among seniors looking for a fun, easy and effective way of keeping fit, but players can be of all ages.
About $3,000 in prize money is available in various categories at the national championships.
There are more than 400 regularly playing members of Pickleball Kelowna, and the communities of Vernon and Peachland have recently opened dedicated pickleball courts next to tennis courts to accommodate fans of the fast-growing sport.