The IRF states: The main reason for this move to rally scoring is that many times our matches are too long in duration. That negatively affects the feasibility of televising, in addition to negatively affecting Racquetball in Olympic Chain tournaments with the extensive number of days that are required to complete all of the matches. Additionally, we know the general public often does not understand Racquetball and becomes lost and confused trying to follow our scoring format as it has existed in the past.

In short, racquetball has good reason to believe there is a chance, even though it may be small, to be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. If the sport does not change to rally point scoring, they will not be considered for any Olympics.

This change aligns well with long-term athlete development (LTAD). Racquetball Canada is a firm supporter of LTAD and has been aligning our programming for some time now. The Badge Program is a prime example of this.

Players that are finished their junior careers at 18 often do not have a solid stepping stone to adjust to adult competition and qualify for further support from Racquetball Canada. Having three more years of development will help high performance athletes with their transition from the Junior team to the Development or Elite team. It will also provide a smoother transition for all players to continue in racquetball as a life long sport.

The 21 & Under division also aligns well with the Canada Games. Inclusion in the Canada Games is a long-term goal of Racquetball Canada.

In the summer of 2020, a Competition Review committee was formed by Racquetball Canada. Multiple meetings were held to review all things related to tournament play in Canada. One discussion revolved around rules and potentially adopting the IRF rules so that our players did not have to adjust back and forth between different formats. This was reviewed by the various committees and then approved by the Board. At the time this did not include rally point scoring. However, Racquetball Canada now uses IRF rules including any announced rule changes moving forward.

Racquetball Canada also supports the IRF recent rule changes and believes they are a positive step forward for the sport in general.

All National events will now use rally point scoring for all divisions. Racquetball Canada will also be adding the 21 & Under category to Junior Nationals competition.

The Nationals specifically will be held over a shorter period (5 days) and pool play will be added to singles competition. Pool play will allow more matches against various opponents with seeding into elimination rounds to crown champions.

Look for the appeals format when using line judges to change as well. This will primarily affect the Open division matches. The new format should lead to less confusion and discussion between players and the referee.

Any provincial level tournament that wishes to be sanctioned by Racquetball Canada must follow Racquetball Canada’s official rules (the IRF rules). We are asking all provinces and all tournaments to implement rally point scoring by March 1, 2022.

The length of tournament matches will now be far more predicable allowing tournaments to run on time. An average match will take 30 to 40 minutes and will unlikely surpass 60 minutes. Players can now expect a certain amount of on-court time based on the number of games and matches they play and the number of divisions they register for.

Tournament directors can look to change up their formatting including draw formats that include more matches, adding divisions and/or allowing participants to play in more divisions. It will take time to learn and adjust to the best formats based on your tournament and its goals.