KAMPALA, Uganda — The development of pickleball in East Africa reached a watershed moment this week as the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) formalised a partnership to introduce the sport to the nation’s education system. Following a high-level meeting at the USSSA headquarters in Old Kampala on February 10, 2026, officials announced that pickleball has been granted immediate demonstration status for the 2026 USSSA National Championships.
Susan Swern, representing the GPF under the “Operation Paddle Lift” initiative, met with USSSA Chief Executive Officer Chris Mugisha Banage and National Coordinator Patrick Okanya to finalise the collaboration. The news marks a rapid ascent for the sport in the region; barely a week prior, USSSA President Justus Mugisha had unveiled pickleball as a new discipline for the upcoming championships. The meeting solidified the logistical framework required to turn that announcement into reality, focusing on equipment donation, technical training for teachers, and grassroots activation.
The collaboration is unprecedented in the context of Ugandan school sports. According to Patrick Okanya, pickleball is the first discipline to be granted demonstration status at the Nationals without first having a fully recognised national federation in place. This “fast-track” approval underscores the aggressive appetite within the Ugandan sports ministry to diversify athletic programs and the effectiveness of the GPF’s outreach strategy.
Developing the Grassroots
The specifics of the deal focus on overcoming the primary barrier to entry in developing nations: infrastructure and equipment. Swern’s “Operation Paddle Lift” is designed specifically to inject resources—paddles, balls, and nets—into emerging regions. By partnering directly with the USSSA, the GPF bypasses the slow bureaucratic growth of club systems and goes straight to the source of mass participation: the schools.
USSSA CEO Chris Mugisha Banage emphasised the scale of the opportunity, noting that the association’s nationwide reach allows for simultaneous introduction across all regions of Uganda. This is not a pilot program confined to the capital; it is a national rollout strategy. The USSSA has committed to working with the nascent Pickleball Uganda Federation to ensure that once students are exposed to the game, there is a pathway for continued development.
The inclusion in the 2026 National Championships serves as a hard deadline and a massive marketing vehicle. The Nationals are a premier event in the Ugandan sporting calendar, drawing attention from scouts, media, and government officials. Showcasing pickleball on this stage validates the sport instantly in the eyes of the public and young athletes.
What’s the Score?
Uganda has effectively opened its doors to pickleball at the institutional level, bypassing years of slow organic growth by embedding the sport directly into the national school curriculum. The partnership between the GPF and USSSA guarantees that thousands of Ugandan students will be exposed to the sport in 2026, creating an instant generation of players in East Africa.
Hit it Deeper!
This development highlights a sophisticated shift in how international sports bodies are approaching global growth. Rather than waiting for local clubs to form, the GPF is utilising a “top-down” institutional approach. By securing government-adjacent buy-in from the USSSA, they ensure that the sport has administrative legitimacy from day one. This is a crucial differentiator from how pickleball grew in the United States, which was largely community-driven and bottom-up. In the African context, school sports associations are often the most powerful gatekeepers of athletic talent.
The decision to allow pickleball as a demo sport without a recognised national federation is a calculated risk by the USSSA, but one that speaks to the low barrier to entry of the sport. Unlike sports requiring expensive stadiums or dangerous contact, pickleball can be played on existing badminton courts—infrastructure that is already present in many Ugandan schools. This compatibility with existing facilities is the “secret weapon” for the sport’s expansion in developing economies.
Furthermore, this initiative positions Uganda as a potential anchor for the sport in East Africa. If the school program succeeds, Uganda could become a regional hub for coaching certification and tournaments, influencing neighbouring nations like Kenya and Tanzania. The “Operation Paddle Lift” model, if successful here, will likely be replicated in other developing markets where school systems provide the most efficient distribution network for new sports.
The World Pickleball Magazine Verdict
The greenlighting of pickleball for the USSSA National Championships is a massive victory for the Global Pickleball Federation. It transforms the sport in Uganda from a curiosity into a recognised scholastic discipline overnight.
As 2026 progresses, the eyes of the international pickleball community should turn to Kampala. We are witnessing a case study in rapid sports development, and if the enthusiasm of the USSSA is any indicator, Uganda is poised to become a vibrant new frontier for the global game.
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Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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