Pickleball Officially Recognized as a Medal Sport at the National Games in Indonesia

In a landmark moment for the sport, pickleball has been officially recognized as a full medal sport at Indonesia’s National Sports Week (Pekan Olahraga Nasional, or PON). This makes Indonesia the first country in Southeast Asia to include pickleball as an official medal discipline in a national multi-sport event.

The announcement marks the culmination of years of grassroots growth, international competition results, and determined lobbying by the Indonesia Pickleball Federation (IPF). Pickleball will officially compete for medals at PON XXII 2028, co-hosted by West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

From Exhibition to the Medal Stand

The road to this moment began at PON XXI 2024 in Aceh and North Sumatra, where pickleball competed for the first time on Indonesia’s biggest national sports stage but only as one of eight exhibition sports. Alongside padel, teqball, and floorball, Indonesian pickleball athletes showcased the sport to national audiences, officials, and provincial sports bodies. The reception was strong enough to keep the campaign for full inclusion alive.

At the IPF’s National Working Meeting (Rakernas) in April 2025, federation leaders formally addressed the technical and administrative requirements to secure a place at PON 2028. Secretary General Cak Susilo confirmed at the time that the criteria for full medal status were being actively worked through with KONI, Indonesia’s National Sports Committee. That work has now paid off.

What This Means for Indonesia’s 38 Provinces

With pickleball now a medal sport at PON, all 38 Indonesian provinces will be expected to field competitive athletes in pursuit of gold. That means a nationwide wave of preparation: building and upgrading courts, recruiting and training coaches, identifying talent, and developing provincial programs from scratch in regions where the sport is still in its infancy.

For established provincial hubs like Jakarta, West Java, and North Sumatra (where pickleball communities are already well-developed) the focus will shift to elite-level athlete preparation. For provinces where the sport is newer, the PON medal status provides a powerful incentive to invest in infrastructure and programs that may not have existed before.

NTB, as one of the host provinces for PON 2028, stands in a particularly interesting position. The province’s IPF branch has been vocal about its international ambitions, and in 2024, Pickleball Global recommended NTB develop at least 10 covered courts to meet international standards. With home-court advantage and the eyes of the nation on them, NTB’s pickleball program is expected to accelerate rapidly.