Kamloops Open returns with 436-player amateur pickleball field

A full 436-player field pushed the Kamloops Open back to the front of the B.C. amateur pickleball circuit, with matches split between Riverside Park and MacDonald Park and a turnout that topped the 393 players recorded in 2025. Registration was already closed, leaving a packed three-day schedule that ran May 29-31 and gave Kamloops another busy showing as one of the province’s more reliable amateur stops.

The field carried more than local weight. In recent years, the tournament has pulled players from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Montana, Arizona and Washington, and the 2026 draw again mixed singles, doubles and mixed divisions across age groups and skill levels. Singles and 3.0 doubles and mixed brackets used round robin play, while 3.5 through 5.0-plus doubles and mixed divisions went to double elimination. Gold medal matches were best two out of three games to 11, win by 2, which gave the final rounds a longer championship feel than the standard quick-hit format.

The top end of the draw came with cash attached. The 5.0-plus prize divisions, backed by Comazzetto Group and BMO Private Wealth, guaranteed $1,000 for women’s, men’s and mixed 14-49 winners. All players were required to hold a current Pickleball Canada membership, a reminder that even as the event stayed rooted in amateur play, it still carried the structure and expectations of a major regional tournament.

For spectators, the setup was simple: free entry, two parks and long days of action. Tourism Kamloops listed the tournament at Riverside Park from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with registration set at $70 before the field closed and sign-up opening April 1, 2026. MacDonald Park joined the rotation as an additional venue, adding another layer to a draw that already stretched court time and resources across the city.

The scale of the event showed how far Kamloops pickleball has come. Tournament founder Ross Perkin has said the inaugural Kamloops Open started with 60 players in a school gymnasium, before moving through McDonald Park and settling at Riverside Park. In 2025, organizers said Riverside Park had 10 dedicated pickleball courts plus six temporary courts on nearby tennis courts. Wilma Steinke has said the Kamloops Pickleball Club has about 600 paid members and still wants a larger indoor facility, ideally a 25-court complex that could eventually host provincial tournaments. Back in Play added another sign of growth, running a donation booth at Riverside Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the event to collect used sports equipment and cash for redistribution to local schools and families through Poach Pickleball.