Washington hosts world-class pickleball tournament near birthplace of sport

Pickball public and professional players from around the world are coming to play near the birthplace of the sport.

Seattle is hosting the Professional Pickleball Association tournament. The sold-out event started Wednesday at Woodland Park in Seattle.

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The game has gained so much attention that last year Governor Jay Inslee declared pickleball the official state sport.

Pickleball was invented in Bainbridge Island back in 1965 and is similar to tennis but is played with smaller courts and wooden paddles. The game also uses a plastic ball instead of a rubber tennis ball.

“The best thing about this sport is you can see all different generations, backgrounds. Like for me myself I can bring my grandmother, my mother, and my eight-year-old daughter, four generations on one court, where else can you find that,” said player Rafa Hewett.

The tournament goes until Sunday.

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