When one of the biggest media companies in the world decides to plant their flag into pickleball, you know it’s going to be huge.
That’s precisely what’s happening this week with the launch of Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), Pickleball World Series, and Pickleball World Tour.
Everything’s bigger in Dubai
The event hosted in Dubai saw big names from the pickleball world all come together to discuss how pickleball will go from the “Fastest growing sport in America” to the biggest sport in the world.
American-based pros on hand included No. 1 APP Tour player Megan Fudge along with her husband – No. 5 player on the APP Tour Ryler DeHeart –and top-ranked Australian pros, Emilia Schmidt and Mitch Hargreaves.
Besides the pros, The Dink CEO Thomas Shields, Founder of Major League Pickleball (MLP) Steve Kuhn, Tito Machado from DUPR, and many others were in attendance.
All these people gathered to witness the beginning of what might become the world’s biggest professional pickleball tour.
It is an understatement to say they (and we) are excited about what’s to come.
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PWR announces the biggest prize ever in pickleball
PWR is the ranking system that will be used to determine how players worldwide rank against one another. The rankings ladder up to the Pickleball World Series – a series of new marquee events designed to crown who is best in the world.
You can see the announcement of this launch here:
In the video, CEO & Co-Founder of PWR Pranav Kohli explains what pickleball is for those who are unfamiliar, breaks down how PWR and the Pickleball World Series will work together, and introduces The Times Group as the financial backer of it all.
- The Pickleball World Series will consist six marquee events across the globe
He also announced $15 million of prize money for the PWR World Tour and $1.5 million for the GCC stop of the PWR World Series. This is the highest prize money ever offered in the sport.
- The Pickleball World Tour consists of 500+ sanctioned international events
The Times Group believes pickleball will overtake tennis
The Times Group, also known as Bennett Coleman & Company Limited (BCCL), is a family-owned Indian media conglomerate that was founded in 1838. The group is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and has a presence across all media platforms, including newspapers, magazines, books, TV, radio, the internet, event management, outdoor display, music, and movies.
“The Times Group is proud to be an anchor investor in PWR, a path-breaking initiative that unifies the global pickleball community. Times Group is known for its innovation and its ability to be ahead of the curve in every one of its initiatives,” Times Group managing director Vineet Jain said.
“I personally believe that pickleball will overtake tennis in terms of participation in the near future. PWR is a platform that will empower players from every corner of the globe to compete, excel, and showcase their talents on an international stage,” he said.
Where to see all the announcements
If you’d like to watch summaries of the different presentations and get a feel for just how massive this is for bringing pickleball to the world, you can find the videos here on the TIMES NOW YouTube Channel.