DUPR（Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating）が、2026年3月に開催される2026 Franklin US Open Pickleball Championshipsで、車椅子部門専用のレーティング制度を正式に運用開始する。創設10周年を迎えるUS Openで、世界最大級のピックルボールレーティング機関がアダプティブ部門に参入する形だ。
Until now, wheelchair players had continued to be evaluated within the same rating framework as standing players, or to enter tournaments without an independent evaluation standard. With the introduction of a dedicated rating system, the competitiveness of the wheelchair division will be made visible with the same precision as the standing division.
2026 US Openで運用される「車椅子専用DUPR」の仕組み
The new system is operated in a form integrated into DUPR's existing platform. Its feature is that wheelchair players around the world are evaluated individually within the same ecosystem as standing players.
立位部門と同じEloアルゴリズムを適用
DUPRは、Major League Pickleball創設者Steve Kuhn氏が2021年に開発したレーティング指標で、改良型Eloアルゴリズムを用いる。シングルス直近30試合・ダブルス直近60試合を対象に、スコア・試合種別・試合の新しさを加味して算出される。車椅子部門でも同じ計算ロジックが適用される。
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Introducing tournament | 2026 Franklin US Open Pickleball Championships |
| Location | Naples, Florida, USA |
| Timing | March 2026 |
| Operator | DUPR / Pickle4 / US Open Pickleball Championships |
| Rating range | 2.000-8.000 (same scale as the standing division) |
| Calculation method | Improved Elo algorithm (most recent 30-60 matches) |
Improved precision of seeding and progress tracking
In its official statement, DUPR cites four purposes for the wheelchair-only rating: "improving competitive fairness," "expanding inclusivity for adaptive athletes," "more accurate tournament seeding," and "improving player progress tracking." Until now, at wheelchair-division tournaments, players' skill distribution was hard to grasp in advance, and draw creation relied on rules of thumb.
- Wheelchair players worldwide can be compared on the same scale
- Tournament organizers can use an objective metric when designing draws
- Players themselves can chart the same "out of 8.000" career path as standing players
- It becomes a basis for judgment when sponsors evaluate pro players
発表における関係者の立場
発表に際して、DUPR・大会主催者・選手らが見解を述べている。共通するのは、車椅子部門が「補助的なエキシビション」から「正式な競技」へ移行する転換点だという認識だ。
DUPRの立場
DUPR CEO Tito Machado said, "Inclusion is at the heart of pickleball's growth. This rating system is an important step reflecting the diversity of the sport." The significance of incorporating the wheelchair division into DUPR's touted brand of "the world's most accurate pickleball rating" is large.
主催者・推進者の見解
Pickle4会長兼US Open Pickleball Championships会長のBen Weinberger氏は「これこそピックルボールに必要な進歩だ」と歓迎。車椅子ピックルボールの推進者として知られるRyan Anthony氏も「自分たちのスキルレベルを正当に認識するレーティング制度ができることで、自信を持って競技に臨める」と述べている。
米国における車椅子ピックルボール競技の制度整備
米国では、車椅子ピックルボールの制度化が加速している。USA Pickleballは2024年のBiofreeze USA Pickleball National Championshipsで車椅子部門を初めて公式競技として採用。さらに2026年6月19〜21日にコロラドスプリングスで「USA Pickleball Wheelchair National Championships」を初開催すると発表している。
| Tournaments | Timing | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Biofreeze USA Pickleball Nationals | 2024 | Introducing the wheelchair division as an official competition for the first time |
| 2026 Franklin US Open | March 2026 | DUPR車椅子専用レーティング運用開始 |
| USA Pickleball Wheelchair Nationals | June 2026 (Colorado Springs) | Holding the wheelchair-only national championship for the first time |
参加規模と支援体制の拡大
The U.S. nonprofit Adaptive Pickleball has stated that in 2025 alone it provided programs to more than 1,155 players with disabilities. USA Pickleball formally incorporated extended rules for the wheelchair division and the standing adaptive division into its 2026 rulebook. Integration of rules for the Special Olympics is also advancing, and three layers—competitive bodies, support organizations, and rating bodies—are being developed at the same time.
日本国内の車椅子ピックルボール環境と今後の課題
In Japan, in April 2026 the JPA (Japan Pickleball Association) and the PJF (Pickleball Japan Federation) merged and "Pickleball Japan (PJ)" was founded. With the domestic governing body unified, the clarification of criteria for dispatching players to international tournaments is advancing. On the other hand, competition rules, tournaments, and ratings specialized in the wheelchair division have not yet advanced in official development at present.
- For wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball, the Japanese Para-Sports Association has developed systems over many years
- For pickleball, expanding the competitive population of the standing division comes first
- The introduction of DUPR's wheelchair rating in the U.S. may accelerate the discussion within Japan
- Partnership with para-sports organizations, local governments, and disabled-sports centers is a future point of discussion
ピックルボールはコート面積がテニスの約3分の1で、車椅子の動線にも適しているといわれる。日本国内でも、車椅子テニスの選手・指導者がピックルボールへ参入する流れが起きれば、競技基盤の整備は進む可能性がある。詳細はPickleball Japan, founded through the merger of the JPA and PJFの動向と合わせて追う必要がある。
2026 US Open導入がもたらす国際的な波及効果
The US Open is recognized as pickleball's "one of the world's largest open tournaments," and introducing wheelchair ratings on its 10th anniversary is symbolic.The 2026 Franklin US Open's 10th-anniversary planhas previewed expansion of the wheelchair-division draw and promotion.
プロリーグ・スポンサーへの可能性
DUPR is also used as a draft metric for major pro leagues such as the MLP and PPA. With the same metric getting underway in the wheelchair division too, discussion of the AFPL and MLP newly establishing adaptive slots takes on reality.The AFPL Season 3 draftGiven the flow of it operating with a structure of over 130 applicants, expanding the rating base affects draft design as well.
ユース層への展開の方向性
The movement of USA Pickleball partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs and advancing outreach to a youth tier of 5,500 U.S. locations and 4 million people a year may also connect with the adaptive division.The partnership between USA Pickleball and the Boys & Girls Clubsif wheelchair clinics are built into large-scale infrastructure like it, developing adaptive players from a young age advances.
立位選手と同じ「土俵」の実現
DUPR's wheelchair-only rating system is not a mere addition of a new metric. It means that, for the first time in pickleball history, a mechanism is being put in place where standing players and wheelchair players around the world are evaluated "individually and accurately" on the same platform.
2026年は、3月のUS Openで車椅子レーティングが始動し、6月にUSA Pickleball Wheelchair Nationalsが開催される、アダプティブ部門にとっての分岐点となる。日本でも、統括団体の一本化を背景に、車椅子部門への取り組みをどう設計するかが問われ始めている。
Sources: The Dink Pickleball – DUPR Launching Dedicated Wheelchair Pickleball Rating System at 2026 US Open
