SALT LAKE CITY — The Professional Pickleball Association is hosting a pickleball tournament this week at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

The Picklr Utah Open, part of the PPA Tour, welcomes both amateurs and professionals who have fallen in love with the sport.

“The PPA Tour is basically the PGA Tour of pickleball, so this week we’ll have just over 1,000 pickleball players coming here and competing at the amateur and professional levels,” said PPA Tour President Bryce Morgan.

He said the PPA Tour has many ties to Utah and actually started in the Beehive State.

“The original founder is from Utah,” Morgan said. “Utah has the highest number of pickleball players per capita in the entire United States, so pickleball is definitely a stronghold in Utah.”

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Since its inception, the PPA has seen a tremendous surge in the popularity of the sport. It is said that more than 12,000 Utah residents have participated in PPA amateur events.

In fact, the sport’s popularity has grown so much that, according to Morgan, pickleball will likely be allowed as a test sport at the 2028 Olympics and as a true Olympic sport by 2032.

Morgan said the beauty of pickleball is that it is for everyone.

“I can play with my daughter, my mom and my grandmother and it’s really fun. There aren’t many sports like this,” Morgan said. “You’ll see minor league games this week. You can also play with your daughter, your son or your friend. All skill levels are welcome here.”

Tickets are still available for the pickleball tournament. The professional games run from Thursday until the final on Sunday.