The Tribune

LESS than two years after its founding, the 100-member-strong Bahamas Pickleball Federation has been invited to participate in Pickleball World Cup 2024 in Lima, Peru.

The Bahamas team - a contingent of 16 Bahamian picklers - will join teams from 32 different countries to compete in the five-day event, scheduled for October 22-27.

Pickleball is a hybrid paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong. Appropriate for players of all ages and skill levels, it has become the fastest growing sport in the US over the past several years. 

In the Bahamas, a combination of local and tourist demand has been strong enough to prompt both hotels and local communities to construct new, specific-built facilities or to multi-purpose existing tennis courts to address the need. 

Amazon Prime has even introduced a pickleball channel that will be streaming the World Cup competition from Peru. 

Avid pickleball players in The Bahamas have joined forces to establish the Bahamas Pickleball Federation, the main resource for all things pickleball in the country, from lessons to competitive play.

“We’re passionate about the community development of pickleball,” said federation president Kelly Ann Meade. “We are inspiring young Bahamians with a goal that they will one day compete on the Olympic stage.”

Generous local support by sponsors like The Dunmore in Harbour Island, Harbour Island Canvas, and Home Fabrics in Nassau have helped the team ready themselves to compete in Peru. The ultimate goal of the federation is similar to that of the organisers of the World Cup Tournament itself, the Cabieses Foundation founders Hercilio and Miranda Cabieses, both professional pickleball players.

“(Our) goal was to introduce the game to kids in Peru and give them the equipment they need to play,” Miranda Cabieses said. “Pickle changed my life, so I want to give back too.” 

The Bahamas Pickelball Federation shares this goal. Blairwood Academy, an alternative school in Nassau, is the most recent to build a pickleball court on its campus.The game continues to enjoy heightened interest throughout The Bahamas, which has led to many new courts being built in Nassau, Eleuthera, Exuma and Abaco.

 Competing in October’s World Cup is just the beginning for the federation. In February 2025, they plan to compete in the inaugural Caribbean Championships in the Cayman Islands, with another invitation from the Pickleball Federation of Americas (PFA) to complete again later in the year. Moreover, with the recent official designation from the Bahamas Olympic Committee, the game’s attraction for Bahamians will undoubtedly continue to flourish.