Chandler Carney, Esq. joins Global Pickleball Federation Executive Committee as Chief Compliance Officer; signals IOC recognition efforts

Chandler Carney, Esq. Joins GPF Executive Committee as Chief Compliance Officer - Global Pickleball Federation

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At-Large Board Member Chandler Carney, Esq. has accepted a new role on the GPF Executive Committee, as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). Carney will join ExCom as a non-voting member as permitted by sections 7.1 and 8.6 of the 2026 GPF Bylaws, to safeguard the organization’s integrity and ensure consistent adherence to our bylaws and applicable law.

This new role underscores the importance of compliance as a core integrity of GPF.

Helps mitigate potential risks before they happen

Fulfills a need to review all outgoing responses tied to bylaws and compliance

GPF contract negotiation and eventual contract creation

Guides member countries on compliance with AIMS

SportAccord application and compliance as we seek IOC recognition

Sends a clear signal to IOC on steps GPF is taking toward IOC recognition

Carney’s position ensures that compliance is at the forefront of all GPF initiatives, including the following:

Ethics and conflicts of interest

Chandler Carney is a U.S. attorney, a three-time member of Chile’s national pickleball team (2023–2025) and a builder of the sport across South America. Elected to a second term on the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) Board of Directors, she continues to serve as Chair of the GPF Legal Committee, where she leads the Federation’s work on policy drafting, contract and commercial review, compliance, institutional development and more. Chandler earned her J.D. from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and her B.A. from the University of West Florida, and her scholarship has been published in the Fordham International Law Journal. She is bilingual in English and Spanish, with developing Portuguese. Through her work on the GPF Board and Legal Committee, Chandler is committed to building durable, transparent and athlete-centered governance structures that can support pickleball’s growth as a global sport.

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Chandler Carney, Esq. Joins GPF Executive Committee as Chief Compliance Officer

Aditya Khanna of New Delhi, India, is a pioneering figure in Indian pickleball, serving as the CEO of the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), the National Sports Federation for pickleball in India and as the first Secretary of the Asian Pickleball Association, the continental federation of the Global Pickleball Federation. Widely recognized as a driving force in pickleball in India, he has been instrumental in bringing together Asian member nations and in establishing the sport’s organizational structure. Khanna also helped conceptualize and launch the Indian Pickleball League in December 2025, promoting competitive play and grassroots participation across India and Asia.

A former professional tennis player, Aditya currently captains the Indian 40+ Tennis Team and is ranked among the top 10 in the world in ITF Masters. He has served as Tournament Director for high-profile Davis Cup ties, including India vs. Spain (with Rafa Nadal) and India vs. Denmark. An accomplished entrepreneur, Khanna owns and leads companies across textiles, real estate and sports and is a strategic partner of India’s Tennis Premier League. An undergraduate from the London School of Economics with a master’s degree from the University of Oxford and prior investment banking experience in London.

Rika Riordan of Tokyo, Japan, is a dynamic leader and pioneer in the development of pickleball in Japan, currently serving as Chairperson of the Pickleball Japan Federation (PJ). In February 2026, she spearheaded the historic merger of Japan’s two existing pickleball federations into a single unified national body, strengthening the sport’s governance and long-term sustainability.

Prior to the merger, Riordan founded the Pickleball Japan Federation (PJF) in 2023, where she served as Vice-Chairperson. Under her leadership, PJF organized Japan’s first international pickleball tournament in 2024, drawing 700 participants from nine countries and securing major corporate sponsorships. In 2025, she expanded the tournament to 1,300 participants from 18 countries, attracting coverage from 32 media outlets. She also launched coaching and referee training programs that helped grow Japan’s player base more than tenfold. Prior to joining the GPF, Riordan served as a Board of Directors member of the WPF in 2025.

Riordan is also the Founder and President of the Japan Hawaii Pickleball Association (JHPA), established in 2022 to cultivate cross-cultural ties between Japan and Hawaii through pickleball diplomacy, including the Honolulu Sister City inaugural pickleball Mayor’s Cup.

Her leadership in pickleball is built on a distinguished career in international business. As Founder and President of Mockingbird Trading Co. (1995 –2012), she grew an import business with products worn by one in six babies born in Japan. She began her career as a Corporate Travel Planner at Japan Travel Bureau.

Riordan holds a Bachelor of Arts from Gakushuin University, where she was also a member of the university tennis team. She is fluent in Japanese and English.

Based in Chile, Chandler has been instrumental in growing pickleball in the region. She is the co-founder of KONDOR Pickleball, and the founder of Pickleball UC by KONDOR at Club Deportivo Universidad Católica, which she has grown into a thriving community of players. She was a founding member of the Asociación de Pickleball de Chile (APC). As a high-performance player, coach, facility owner and brand owner, Chandler has a deep understanding of the sport through multiple lenses.

Within the GPF, Chandler has taken a leading role in the Federation’s most significant partnerships and negotiations. She has served on the negotiation team behind the DUPR–GPF partnership, on the unification team working toward alignment with the UWPF and has represented the GPF as a speaker and delegate at RacquetX and other major industry conferences.

Chandler earned her J.D. from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and her B.A. from the University of West Florida, and her scholarship has been published in the Fordham International Law Journal. She is bilingual in English and Spanish, with developing Portuguese. Through her work on the GPF Board and Legal Committee, Chandler is committed to building durable, transparent and athlete-centered governance structures that can support pickleball’s growth as a global sport.

Ruth Rosenquist of Scottsdale, Arizona, is a PR

marketing practitioner and avid pickleball player since she discovered the sport in 1992. Today, she chairs the Community Development Committee as a Board Member of the Global Pickleball Federation, overseeing a grant program called Operation Paddle Lift that distributes essential pickleball equipment to underserved regions across the world. Ruth has also led Marketing

Communications efforts for GPF since its launch, serving as social media admin, facilitating industry events and PR efforts.

Rosenquist facilitated the first national news story where pickleball was named “the fastest growing sport in America” by NBC Nightly News in 2014. More than a decade later, that phrase still rings true. Due to her formative years living in Ibadan, Nigeria, Ruth turned her focus to growing pickleball across the globe with the former International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) from 2020-2022. Ruth then became an inaugural board member of the Global Pickleball Federation in 2023. Over her career, Ruth has rolled out fundraising initiatives for Susan G. Komen, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Save the Children and Autism Speaks, raising over $3 million. She also incubated a sensory-friendly experience for children of all abilities in partnership with Autism Speaks that remains active in 600 locations across North America today.

Ruth embarked on her advocacy for the sport of pickleball in 2013, serving on the USA Pickleball Board as Media Chair, continuing after her term ended as a PR Consultant until 2019.

Ruth holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Arizona State University.

Leonardo Stango is a pioneering leader in the global growth of pickleball and the founder of pickleball in Venezuela. Since introducing the sport in 2021 with just one court and four paddles, he has helped develop a nationwide movement that now includes more than 200 courts, thousands of players, certified coaches and international competition pathways.

Leonardo serves as President of the Venezuelan Pickleball Association (AVP) and President of the Pickleball Federation of the Americas (PFA), overseeing development across North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

As Director of Team Venezuela, Leonardo travels internationally promoting the sport, leading national delegations and supporting the continued growth of Venezuelan pickleball on the world stage. Under his leadership, Venezuela has become one of the fastest-growing pickleball nations in Latin America.

A certified PPR Coach Developer and international instructor, Leonardo has led coach education programs, referee development, grassroots initiatives, school programs and adaptive pickleball projects, helping establish pickleball throughout Venezuela and across the Americas. In recognition of his contributions to the sport, Leonardo received the PFA Award of Excellence – Person of the Year.

Leonardo is proud to be part of the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), working alongside international leaders to support the worldwide growth of pickleball, contribute to global decision-making and advance the long-term vision of achieving Olympic recognition for the sport.

His vision remains simple: to create opportunities through pickleball, unite communities and expand the sport throughout the Americas and beyond.

Ngoc Nguyen of Los Angeles, California, brings over 20 years of deep expertise and trusted relationships across entertainment, sports, philanthropy and culture. Through her firm, Nguyen Strategies, Ngoc advises individuals and companies through the lens of a publicist, producer and cultural strategist.

Ngoc worked for entertainment powerhouses Miramax Films, Creative Artists Agency and Paramount Pictures before launching her consultancy, where she has advised Google, TEDx, CBS Sports, Taste of Tennis, SXSW, Bad Robot and The Actor Awards, among others. As a filmmaker, Ngoc is an award-winning producer of movies, TV series and digital content. Her projects have topped the charts of major platforms, including APPLE TV, Hulu, Paramount+ and her most recent endeavor, a television series called “Everyone is Doing Great,” premiered on Netflix in May 2026.

Ngoc’s advocacy work has included clients such as Katy Perry’s Firework Foundation, J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath Family Foundation, and TIME’S UP, where she was SVP and