A 73-year-old man in the American state of Florida has been charged with battery after a disagreement over the format of a pickleball tournament allegedly turned physical.
According to The Dink, which cited local reporting by Gulf Coast News, Steven DeMaio faces the charge over an incident on 3 October at the Del Webb Naples pickleball facility in Ave Maria, Collier County.
The dispute is said to have started over a proposed change to a tournament. DeMaio told reporters he had arrived with documents setting out suggested changes to the format, and that a woman snatched the papers and left with them, leading him to go after her.
A police report alleges that DeMaio pushed the woman during the encounter. He rejects that description, saying any physical contact was not a deliberate shove.
DeMaio also admitted lifting a slow cooker during the altercation, but maintained it was done in jest. He said he later tossed the documents back onto the ground.
"The emotion was overwhelming," DeMaio told Gulf Coast News by phone. He added that he was disappointed the matter had escalated over a game of pickleball.
He was arrested on 21 October, more than two weeks after the incident, and was freed on bond the next day.
A neighbour who spoke to Gulf Coast News said the community is usually calm and sociable, noting that although the sport can be competitive, episodes of this kind are rare.
The woman involved and other witnesses had not commented publicly at the time of the original report. The battery allegation has not been resolved, and DeMaio continues to dispute the account of the alleged shove.