By Simon Asare
Accra, March 11, GNA – Pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, has historically debuted at the 13th African Games being staged in Ghana.
Nine participating countries including Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Benin, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone began their campaigns in the singles tournament at the University of Ghana Netball Court in Accra, on Tuesday, March 11,2024.
It was all exciting for the players participating in the sport for the first time as they battled for the first ever pickleball laurels at the African Games.
Dr. Kwabena Akufo, the President of the Confederation of African Pickleball, told the GNA Sports, in an interview that it had taken great efforts for the sport to be part of the African Games.
“It is incredible for pickleball to debut at the African Games. We started the Confederation only in August last year, and we decided to be part of the games. We came together, and it is a great achievement, and this is the right step in getting it to the Olympics,” he said.
Dr. Kwabena Akufo, who doubles as the Ghana Pickleball Association, said Team Ghana would win medals for the country, and the team started very well in the preliminaries.
He also urged governmental support for the development, which he said had bright prospects considering the vast talent pool in the country.
Madam Elizabeth Krebs, a Rwandan pickleball official, was thankful to Ghana for accepting to feature the sport at the African Games for the first time.
“This country (Ghana) has done an incredible job hosting the African Games. This is the start of something big. Pickleball is an inclusive sport where the young and the old can compete. It is easy and fun to play, and players who play tennis or badminton can play very easily.
“There are incredible pickleball athletes in Africa. We are going to spread it across Africa, and hopefully it would take over the world,” she said.
Kenyan pickleball player Bryan Kerombo said it was a good experience to feature in an African Games and looks forward to winning more medals.
“For the first time, pickleball is at the African Games, and it presents us with a good opportunity to be competitive, especially looking at the high level of pickleball players on the continent,” he said.
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GNA