Javier Regalado, the president of the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), has initiated the ultimate ambition for pickleball - making the sport an Olympic discipline. At the World Pickleball Conference, held on June 27–28 at the Palm Beach Convention Centre in Florida, Regalado announced that the GPF “has officially begun the Olympic recognition process" by submitting pickleball’s application to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the governing body for global Olympic sports, and has paid the accompanying fees as well. “The journey is no longer an idea - it is a reality," Regalado told the audience at the conference. "We are taking pickleball from backyards and gyms to the doorstep of the Olympic Games,” he announced. “Let that sink in. For the first time in the history of our sport, pickleball is now moving forward on a formal pathway to join the Olympic family.” After submitting the application for Olympic sport status, Regalado adopted a five-point vision of the GPF to formalise the sport’s inclusion in the Quadrennial Games. The points are as follows: Finalise the recognition process. Expand to over 90 active federations. Launch merit-based World and Continental Championships under GPF governance. Complete full compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code. Deliver a world-class dossier for final review by the IOC. Regalado emphasised that the application was only made possible through the GPF’s vision and “through unity and hard work” and good governance, with the federation taking care of the sport’s rules and athletes, and aiming to “build a sport worthy of global respect.” “Governance is not about control. It is about clarity," said Regalado. "It is the shield that protects the sport’s integrity - and the bridge that invites investment, credibility, and opportunity,” he added. “It is about creating an international rule of law for our beloved sport. That is why we created the Global Pickleball Federation.” The GPF currently has 67 member national federations - including the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), the national sports federation for pickleball in India - across continents, with membership expected to grow to just under 100 by the end of 2025.