The Caribbean island nation of Barbados is moving full speed ahead to turn its homegrown sport of road tennis into a globally recognized discipline, with plans to officially establish the International Road Tennis Federation (IRTF) by the end of 2024, the country’s Minister of Sport Charles Griffith confirmed in a Wednesday announcement. The declaration came during the press launch of the fifth edition of the Barbados Road Tennis Open, the sport’s flagship annual competition, where Griffith outlined the island’s long-term strategy for global growth.
Under the current plan, the new global governing body will be headquartered permanently in Barbados, serving as the central regulatory body to standardize rules, coordinate international competitions, and drive widespread adoption of the sport around the world. Griffith emphasized that launching the federation is a critical milestone in legitimizing road tennis as an international sport, noting that while the process requires formal membership from roughly 50 participating nations to meet international sports governance standards, the time has come to begin laying the foundational framework. Demand for the sport is already growing beyond Barbados’ borders: the government has received inquiries from interested federations across Africa and Europe, and Griffith currently holds an invitation to travel to Canada to open a new international road tennis tournament.
This year’s Barbados Road Tennis Open, kicking off August 15 and running through October 3, offers a $20,000 top prize for both men’s and women’s singles champions, marking one of the most lucrative purses for the sport to date. In a groundbreaking update for 2024, the tournament will add an under-18 youth division for both boys and girls, a move designed to cultivate the next generation of road tennis talent.
Griffith stressed that global expansion starts with robust grassroots development at home. Currently, Barbados counts more than 300 purpose-built road tennis courts across the island, and the government plans to add another 300 courts to ensure nearly every community has access to public playing space. “Building a broad base at the grassroots is the only way to grow the sport sustainably,” Griffith explained. “If we have road tennis played in every corner of this island, we will build a strong talent pyramid that can support elite international competition. The government will continue to work hand-in-hand with the national road tennis association to support their efforts and drive this success.”
Beyond infrastructure, the minister outlined plans to expand the national coaching cohort, training a pool of certified instructors who can travel internationally to teach the sport’s rules and introduce it to new markets. Notably, the sport already received high-profile global exposure during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where a Barbadian delegation was invited to showcase road tennis – and received a follow-up invitation to host a demonstration at the University of Stirling during their trip. To encourage more young Barbadians to pursue international coaching opportunities, the government will guarantee compensation for all coaches who travel abroad to promote the sport.
Griffith also highlighted the need to build a sustainable commercial framework for road tennis, allowing Barbadians to reap economic benefits from their indigenous sport. Key opportunities include the standardization and manufacturing of official road tennis rackets, which could become a new export product for the island.
Calling road tennis “the next global breakout sport,” Griffith revealed that a pathway already exists to achieve Olympic recognition. Four years ago, during discussions with International Olympic Committee leadership, Barbados received an informal offer to pursue observer status for road tennis – a key first step toward eventual inclusion in the Olympic program. “We can only reach that milestone if we get road tennis moving across the world,” Griffith said. “That is why launching the international federation now is so critical.”