During the recent Pickleball Ontario Championships at Pickleplex Downsview, officials identified and removed almost a dozen paddles that were not on the USA Pickleball (USAP) Approved Equipment List. As a result, a number of players without a spare had to borrow a paddle in the minute before their match was due to begin.
All sanctioned tournaments follow Pickleball Canada’s sanctioned tournament criteria, and one of those criteria is that player paddles must be approved by USA Pickleball.
Tips for tournament play
- All Provincial and National Championship tournaments are sanctioned.
- The criteria for sanctioned tournaments are on the Pickleball Canada website.
- Check that your paddle(s) are on the USA Pickleball Approved Equipment List. An approved paddle is marked with the USA Pickleball logo.
- Bring a backup paddle in case your primary paddle is damaged, lost or stolen.
- Watch for overly worn paddles. At Provincials, one approved paddle with a felt surface was worn so far that the material underneath was visible. Hard-surface paddles can wear the same way.
- Be aware that knock-off and counterfeit paddles are common in the second-hand market (Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Temu and similar).
Watch out for the other approval list
A simple Google search for “approved pickleball paddles” will also bring up the UPA-A approved paddle list. That list is used mainly by professional events such as the PPA Tour and MLP. UPA-A approval is not valid for Pickleball Canada or Pickleball Ontario sanctioned tournaments.
So as you prepare for your next sanctioned tournament, check each tournament’s equipment requirements, and bring a spare paddle just in case.