SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (kelo.com) – Avera Health has plans to build South Dakota’s largest pickleball facility. The health care provider will construct 12 outdoor courts at its Avera on Louise Health Campus in Sioux Falls at a cost of about $1.5 million. Avera anticipates the free courts will open to the public by early August. Avera anticipates the free courts will open to the public by early August.
But what is this oddly named game and why does it need a court? Pickleball is a sport that’s recently grown in popularity, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. The game was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. In 2022 pickleball was adopted as the official state sport of Washington. It combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It’s played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. Two or four players can play with simple equipment that involves paddles and a plastic ball with holes. For a complete how-to guide, click here.
While it isn’t recognized as an Olympic sport, the game does have two international governing bodies: the International Federation of Pickleball and the Worldwide Pickleball Federation. The World Pickleball Federation had scheduled the inaugural World Pickleball Games for 2023. The World Pickleball Games are intended to serve as a format for possible future Olympic games.
