By the early 70's, court
clubs could be found in every state and the sport enjoyed a rapid
and steady rise in popularity. As Americans sought new and
challenging athletic activities, the timing was perfect for
racquetball -- courts were accessible nationwide and the sport was
fun and easy to learn. The late 70's and early 80's saw racquetball
become one of the fastest growing sports in America as thousands of
new racquetball courts were built to satisfy the demand.
But the sport saturated the
market and reached its peak in the mid-80's, when many clubs either
closed their doors or began converting courts to other uses. But by
1987 the decline leveled off and racquetball regained a steady,
manageable growth rate.
From an original core group
of loyal enthusiasts, participation has stabilized at 5.6 million
American players who enjoy the sport each year.
Internationally, the sport
has also attained great heights in its short history -- with World
Championships held bi-annually since 1981, the addition of five
International Olympic Committee approved events and its debut as a
Pan American Games Sport in 1995.
Now in a new century, times
are exciting for the sport of racquetball. With increasing exposure
to a growing market of recreational and competitive players --
combined with the sport's proven track record of steady annual
growth and the promise of achieving the "Olympic Dream" --
racquetball is well positioned for the future.
The IRF..
The International
AmateurRacquetball
Federation(then IARF) was
founded in October of 1979 in Memphis, TN with 13 charter countries
taking on the central leadership role in the development of
racquetball worldwide.
Almost a decade later, the
federation dropped the word "amateur" from it's title,
following a phenomenal growth rate in the early 80's
players.
Now
racquetball is practiced worldwide in
over 90 countries on five
continents with 14 million racquetball players
worldwide.
The IRF conducted it's first World
Congress in 1980, followed by it's first World Championships in
1981.
Racquetball is a full medal
sport in the Central American Games, the Central
AmericanCaribbean Games, the Pan American
Games, the South American Games, Bolivarian Games and the World
Games.
- The IRF received it's IOC recognition in December of
1985, the youngest sport ever to have received such
recognition.