Turns Out Pickleball is a Big Unknown to Many Olympic Fans in Paris

With the Olympics in Paris seemingly on non-stop the last two weeks, there has been a lot of talk about pickleball's inevitable inclusion in future Olympic Games. While the sport won't be making its debut in Los Angeles in 2028, it seems the sport's popularity and global growth will eventually make it happen.

Or will it?

We've discussed the game's global growth a lot here at The Dink in recent months, from the announcement of a new Global Pickleball Tour and Pickleball World Series (backed by The Times Group and Pickleball World Rankings) to pickleball's recent inclusion in the 2025 Maccabiah Games in Israel.

However, if this news segment from KING 5 (a popular news station in Seattle) is any indication, pickleball has not reached every nook and cranny of the globe - not yet anyway.

Some of the responses from these Olympic attendees when asked if they have heard of pickleball are priceless.

The man-on-the-street-style interview outside of Roland Garros (where the tennis tournament for the Olympics was held and also the home of the French Open) suggests our rapidly growing sport has not taken hold in other continents just yet.

There's even a woman in a New York Yankees hat who seems befuddled when the reporter tells her that she "can't go in the kitchen."

It's only a matter of time before our game goes completely global. Franklin Sports recently announced the development of England's largest pickleball club and the United Pickleball Association also announced a five-stop international PPA Series in 2025.

If these Olympic fans haven't heard of pickleball yet, one has to think by the time we get to 2028 in L.A. the world will know our game.