India is leading the world: Global Pickleball Federation President Javier Regalado

Pickleball has been growing at a remarkable pace in the country, and the week-long Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), which concluded in the heart of the capital at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, is a testament to it.

So much so that even the Global Pickleball Federation President, Javier Regalado, flew down to witness the spectacle and was impressed by the organisation of IPBL.

Speaking exclusively to The Bridge on the sidelines of the India's first official pickleball league, Regalado said the IPBL has positioned India as the leading country in organizing the first official pickleball league.

"The experience was amazing, incredible. This is something that is not being done anywhere. Here, the fan experience and the player experience is just incredible. So what I see here puts India as the leading country in organizing these kinds of events," he said.

Sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), the official national federation recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the IPBL marks India’s first-ever professional league for the sport, raising the bar for pickleball in the country.

"India is very well aligned with what I think is needed for the future. Sports governance is changing, sports management is changing around the world, and everybody is redesigning, reinventing themselves, starting from the IOC all the way to all the federations," he said.

"What I saw in India is exactly what needs to be done around the world with sports. You have to make it fun, you have to make it entertainment, and that’s the way you can engage with young people in cities around the world," he added, reflecting on his IPBL experience.

"From this visit, I leave with the clear idea that India is one of those leaders around the world in understanding very well how pickleball is going to become a massive sport," he shared.

Fresh from the Annual General Meeting in Manila, Regalado said the AGM served as a pivotal moment for strengthening regional collaboration and expanding the sport’s international footprint.

"The energy was great in Manila. The reason we came to Manila is that we needed a strong response from the Asian countries, and we did. They came together, and now they're working together, and that’s very important because we need to make sure that pickleball is not only a North American sport but a global movement."

"The fact that we came to Manila was very exciting for all the participants, for all the country members, and from now, I think that the possibilities are great," he added.

Responding to whether the GPF will push for pickleball’s inclusion in the Olympics, he said: "Absolutely. It's not the only one, but it's a very important one. And we’ll be in the Olympics, we’ll be in the Commonwealth, we’ll be in all those games because pickleball is going to be demanded by everyone."