Racketlon
COMBINATION RACKET SPORT (Scandinavia 1980s formal; global 2000s) — a match consists of playing all FOUR racket sports in sequence: TABLE TENNIS, BADMINTON, SQUASH, TENNIS. Each sport = 1 set to 21 points; total points across all 4 sports = overall winner. Signature: OPPONENT with an early lead must sustain it across style changes. Governed by FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE RACKETLON (FIR); World Championships since 2001. Growing 'tetrasport' racket community.
Quick facts
Category
Racket & Paddle Sports
Type
Individual
Players
2–4
Duration
~90 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇸🇪 Sweden
Estimated origin
Sweden 1986 (Kimmo Kekäläinen concept); FIR founded 2002; World Championships since 2001
Olympic
No
Popularity
niche
How it works
Objective
Score MOST TOTAL POINTS across all 4 sports (Table Tennis, Badminton, Squash, Tennis in order).
Rules
Basic rules
SEQUENCE: Table Tennis → Badminton → Squash → Tennis (in that order always)
Signature 4-sport order.
Each sport played to 21 POINTS (rally scoring, win by 2 unless GUMMIARM)
Signature 21-point sets.
TOTAL points across all 4 sports determines winner (not sets)
Signature aggregate scoring.
GUMMIARM: if scores tied after all 4, sudden-death in TENNIS
Signature tiebreak.
SINGLES + DOUBLES + MIXED categories in international events
Standard categories.
Scoring
First to reach unreachable point total in aggregate across 4 sports.
Win condition · Highest cumulative points across all 4 sports; ties = gummiarm tennis playoff.
Equipment
4 sets of rackets + balls: TABLE TENNIS paddle+ball, BADMINTON racket+shuttle, SQUASH racket+ball, TENNIS racket+ball
Signature 4-sport equipment
Access to all 4 court types
Signature 4-court venue
Terminology
- Racketlon
- 'Racket' + '-lon' (Greek 'contest') — coined 1980s.
- Gummiarm
- Sudden-death tennis tiebreak (Swedish 'rubber arm').
- FIR
- Federation Internationale de Racketlon (founded 2002).
Major competitions
Racketlon World Championships
annual · Global (rotating hosts) · since 2001
Racketlon World Tour
annual · Global · since 2004
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Fédération Internationale de Racketlon (FIR)
Founded 2002 · Sweden
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Marcus Kihlberg (SWE, multi-World Champion)
- Amke Fischer (GER)
- Various World Racketlon Championships winners
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Racketlon— Wikipedia