BC's first ever provincial pickleball championships are being held in the Okanagan

Hundreds of British Columbian pickleball players are set to descend on the Okanagan next week.

Taking place May 11-14 in Vernon, the Pickleball Depot BC Provincial Championships are the first ever provincial pickleball championships to be held in BC.

More than 1000 matches are to be held over the course of four days and 645 players from across the province have registered for the tournament.

Pickleball is for all ages and this tournament is a great example of that, with competitors ranging from 13 to 80.

The matches will take place at the National Bank Financial Okanagan Wealth Advisors Pickleball Complex (OWA) and the adjacent City of Vernon tennis courts at Marshall Field.

There will be singles, doubles and mixed-doubles games in three different age categories and five different skill levels.

“This event is bringing players from all over our province together," said Walter Knecht, president of Pickleball BC, in a news release. "The 600-plus players registered for this tournament are just a small sampling of the 13,000 players who are Pickleball BC members."

Planning a tournament of this size from the ground up has been in the process for months.

“This has been a monumental undertaking spanning eight months of planning, a leadership team of ten, more than 200 volunteers and forty officials,” noted tournament director, Richard Chambers.

There will be food trucks on site, a cash only beer garden and spectators are welcome, stats, players, tournament events and sponsorship information can be found online.