Bermuda had something to smile about at the Pickleball World Cup in Lima, Peru, receiving a fair play award.

George Thomas, the Pickleball Association of Bermuda vice-president, was on hand to accept the accolade when the two-day tournament concluded on Sunday. Bermuda was one of the three countries to be recognised, alongside New Zealand and Puerto Rico.

Danny Fox, another PAB vice-president, who travelled to the tournament as the coach, commended Thomas and Gavin Manders, the association’s national director, for the role they played in securing the award.

“It was a wonderful surprise for us,’’ Fox said. “I’m not sure what the criteria was, but our delegation was very supportive in all the matches, equally the other teams were supportive and extremely helpful to us.”

“George and Gavin played key roles in building that relationship. Only three countries were awarded, so we were very pleased to be one of them.”

Thomas was thrilled that they were able to compete against countries with higher populations than Bermuda.

“I was deeply honoured to accept the fair play award on behalf of the entire Bermuda delegation,” he said.

“Coming from a nation of just 63,000 people, we approached this World Cup with the belief that while we might be small in population, we could be mighty in spirit and sportsmanship.

“Every member of our team committed to exemplifying the true values of pickleball – respect, camaraderie, and joy in the game – while competing fiercely against nations many times our size.

“This achievement reflects the exceptional leadership of our inspirational captains, Gavin Manders and Mark Cordeiro, who set the tone for positive engagement with every team we encountered and our coach Danny Fox, whose guidance extended far beyond the court.

“Special thanks to Sasha Fisher, whose professional experience and dedication helped elevate not just our play, but our entire approach to international competition. ”Together, we've shown that pickleball is more than just a sport, it's a powerful tool for building lasting friendships and connections across borders.

“This award shows that in sports, the size of your heart and the strength of your character matter more than the size of your nation.”

Manders spoke of the impact the Bermuda contingent made in Peru, such that most of the teams wanted to associate with them.

“We were one of the most beloved teams who competed hard but fair,’’ the former Davis Cup player said. “We had some contagious energy with us that all teams wanted to be around us.”

Bermuda’s seniors team reached the quarter-finals where they lost to the third-seeded United States, the eventual winners of that division. Cordeiro, Michael Way, Stuart Smith, Tori Powell, Thomas, Christine Todd, Sarah Fox and Val Stevenson finished second to the US in Saturday’s round-robin fixtures, with a crucial win over Canada sending them through.

In the round of 16, Bermuda took out Mexico 3-0 before they went down by the same scoreline to the US in the last eight, bringing an end to their journey.

Manders, Benjamin Jones, Alvaro Triana, Fisher, Melisa Judd and Imani Phillips suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat on a tiebreaker to sixth seed Cayman Islands in round of 16.

Bermuda went into the World Cup on the back of strong performances in the tournament leading up to the main event. They clinched 15 medals, seven gold, three silver and five bronze.

Seven of the medals were won by the seniors, five by the open team and three were secured by the juniors. Jaden Jones and Kai Manders were the island’s up-and-coming stars who travelled to Peru.