When it comes to the expansion of pickleball across the globe, Africa has been “a sleeping giant”. While a handful of pickleball clubs could be found in metropolitan areas, the majority of African nations have lagged far behind due to the absence of governance, trainers and equipment.
A New Milestone
However, at the recent 13th African Games, the Confederation of African Pickleball (CAP) and Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) changed that dynamic, achieving a new milestone in their collective mission to grow pickleball as a competitive sport across all of Africa.
Currently representing approximately 95 percent of pickleball players worldwide, the GPF collaborates with the Confederation of African Pickleball (CAP) and its member countries to unify and advance pickleball on a global level.
The Global Pickleball Federation promotes, leads, and supports the growth and development of international pickleball as a sport for all, for life.
The CAP, formed in 2023 to perpetuate the growth and development of pickleball in Africa, has 19 member countries and counting and is officially chartered by the African Association of Sports Confederations, an agency of the African Union, as the recognized Pickleball organization in Africa.
CAP is a proud member and supporter of the Global Pickleball Federation.
The participation of nine African countries in the pickleball section of the 13th African Games is an important step toward advancing pickleball’s visibility and growth across Africa.
Seizing the Opportunity
The CAP was founded in August 2023 by a group of pickleball enthusiasts across Africa, led by President Dr. Kwabena Akufo, founder of the Ghana Pickleball Association and a resident of Accra. He quickly campaigned for pickleball’s inclusion as a demonstration sport in the African Games in March 2024.
The games were founded in 1965, coincidentally the same year pickleball was founded. If Dr Akufo hadn’t seized the opportunity to showcase pickleball’s African athletes alongside the game’s 28 other sports, pickleball would not have been able to make a debut until 2027. Due to the brief timeline, without backing from sports ministries in each respective country, the responsibility fell on each country to raise travel and lodging funds to send a team of four (two men and two women) to the African Games.
A total of nine CAP member countries competed in Accra in March 2024: Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and South Africa.
Overcoming Obstacles
Many of the trailblazers who attended Africa’s first intercontinental pickleball competition surmounted incredible obstacles in their quest to compete at the games. Due to travel costs, four of the nine nations were only able to send a team of three: two men and one woman.
Sierra Leone’s dedicated team captain Jeremiah Pratt sold a plot of land bequeathed to him by his grandmother so his team could afford transportation to attend “Africa’s Olympics.” During their four-day journey via bus, they became stranded in Liberia due to unforeseen travel costs. That delay caused them to miss their first match, but they remained undeterred.
“Pickleball is part of us, my family, and we are a part of pickleball,” Pratt said.
Last-Minute Funding
The team from D.R. Congo received last-minute funding for three flights from Kinshasa to Accra, thanks to a group of pickleball advocates and pro players 8,000 miles away in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sight unseen, this caring group heard about D.R. Congo’s plight, formed a non-profit named the Good Sport Foundation, and launched a fundraiser in just two weeks, attended by three directors of the GPF.
The Benin team arrived on the courts with makeshift plywood paddles, which were quickly switched out for donated paddles delivered from the U.S. by Ron Ponder, GPF Director of Officiating.
Over the week of the competition, Kenya’s team from the Nairobi Pickleball Club won four gold medals.
“Make Pickleball A People’s Sport”
In Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Women’s Singles, while Egypt clinched gold in Mixed Doubles and Men’s Singles. Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa also won silver and bronze medals. A full list of African Games pickleball team medalists is available upon request.
“It has always been the goal of CAP to provide the resources necessary for each of its member countries to spread pickleball on the African continent at the grassroots level. This alignment with GPF allows CAP to accomplish this goal and make pickleball a people’s sport, with the addition of international resources to support the first-ever pickleball tournament at the African Games,” Dr. Kwabena Akufo said.
The vision of Dr Kwabena Akufo and Tournament Director Babatunde Epoyun was assisted by Mission of Love, Lumuro Foundation for Creative Arts and Tourism, Rally Sports and the Jibu Ghana Water Company who provided funding to create the venue at the University of Ghana and week-long competition events.
Selkirk Sports contributed pickleball paddles and equipment for the awards ceremony.
