It’s game on for Hawaii tourism officials who are making a play for better positioning in the lucrative sports tourism market.

The Hawai‘i Convention Center hosted a blessing Wednesday celebrating the expansion of its sports courts program, which includes 45 new pickleball courts, some 19 of which have been designated for use in the Aloha Pickleball Games &Festival that debuts Friday and runs through Sunday. Organizers say it is Hawaii’s largest pickleball tournament to date.

More than 600 registered players are signed up for the Aloha Pickleball Games &Festival, which was organized by Pop Up Pickleball, a division of the California-based sports event management firm Pickleball Management Group, and will feature a competitive tournament format. Spectators and family members also have free entry to access the Pop Up Pickleball Vendor Village and can participate in most nontournament activities.

Teri Orton, general manager of the Hawai‘i Convention Center, said “Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation and globally. This is a big investment for the state of Hawaii and for our community and we hope it will be here for years to come.”

The new pickleball courts are just the latest sports venture at the center, which also has 28 volleyball and badminton courts, 18 basketball courts and 11 futsal courts in its Level 1 Kamehameha Exhibit Halls. The center’s sports program is just one of the many strategies in Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s sports tourism long game to use sports tourism to fuel the state’s visitor-­dependent economy, boost community benefits and foster diplomacy.

Daniel Naho‘opi‘i, HTA interim president and CEO, said HTA’s $700,000 investment in the center’s sporting programs attract festival attendees from outside the state and provide opportunities to market Hawaii globally. It also offers added value for the visitors who are coming to Hawaii for a meeting, incentive trip, conference or an event, Naho‘opi‘i said.

He said sports tourism aligns with HTA’s destination stewardship goals by “bringing community benefits and opportunities for Hawaii’s student athletes and keiki.”

Naho‘opi‘i said HTA is getting ready to release a request for proposals for a sports contractor to serve as a consultant to help HTA identify and go after sports tourism opportunities.

“We typically in the past had people bringing us sports proposals. We are working on revising our sports strategy so we are seeking appropriate partners,” he said, adding that sporting events around the world are now recognized as a key driver of travel.

Naho‘opi‘i said state lawmakers are excited about sports and recently earmarked part of HTA’s budget specifically for sports and signature events.

State Sen. Lynn DeCoite (D, Hana-East and Upcountry Maui- Molokai-Lanai-­Kahoolawe), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism said, “I’ve been a big supporter of pickleball after being introduced to pickleball at the level of trying to break the monotony of working at the Legislature. It goes to show that every place that you go to, even in my district, pickleball is the No. 1 sport.”

DeCoite said she saw the importance of sports tourism during a recent trip to Taiwan and added that “Hawaii has always been late to the table on catching a wave and I think this is a perfect example when we talk about sports and about the diversity of tourism. When sports comes, the families come. If you have more of these things going on, you have kids that are interested and will find something else to do rather than taking a wrong path. This is very healthy. It’s also a great way for the kupuna to stay in shape.”

Charlie Hauser and Scott Winters, co-owners of Pickleball Management Group, said they believe the registered participants in the center’s inaugural event already have topped the next largest pickleball tournament in Hawaii, which had 518 players.

They said they only had two months to organize the event, but that even with the short notice, it has drawn players from the neighbor islands and from California, Washington and North Carolina.

“I think vacationers have registered because pickleball has almost become an amenity that places have, like a swimming pool,” Hauser said.

With more time to market, Winters said, “it could definitely be a destination event.”

Naho‘opi‘i said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism Alex Lasry, who spoke at the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Conference earlier this month, emphasized that sports tourism has a role to play in increasing international arrivals as well as building relationships globally.

Naho‘opi‘i said several cities across the U.S. have been selected as one of the host countries for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and that Hawaii hopes to make a pitch to host practice and qualification rounds.

“Sports diplomacy is about not only using sports for the economic value but using sports to reestablish ties, especially in the Asia Pacific given our location,” Naho‘opi‘i said, adding that HTA’s diplomacy goals are supported by its national partners Brand USA, U.S. Travel Association and the National Travel and Tourism Office.

He said HTA officials, Gov. Josh Green and other top state leaders also have been in discussions with Lasry to see if there are opportunities for Hawaii to participate in pre- and post-hosting opportunities in conjunction with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“International teams might need to transition before Los Angeles and there may not be enough facilities in Los Angeles, which is so crowded,” Naho‘opi‘i said. “We also are looking to see if we could get a sports qualification event leading up to the Olympics such as surfing or rowing.”

There’s already precedent. In the summer of 2021 the U.S. Olympic rowing team practiced at the Ala Wai Canal for a week before heading to Japan, where rowing competition started July 23, the first day of the games.

Three-time Olympian Meghan Musnicki said in a report by WHEC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., before the team left for Hawaii that the team’s time here in 2021 was strictly for business.

“We’re there for a job. It’s not sightseeing or like, we’re not going surfing while we’re in Hawaii, or like, going to go to this big luau. We’re likely going to be isolated in our hotel rooms, or else working out at the boathouse,” Musnicki said.