Padel has continued to rise exponentially as the game has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. The racquet sport has seen a massive rise in popularity in the recent past.
Padel’s addition to the Olympics has been a major discussion. In the past, a number of stakeholders spoke in favour of adding the sport to the grand event which takes place in every four years.
The International Padel Federation reportedly set a deadline for padel to be introduced in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. Luigi Carraro, who was recently voted as the president of the International Padel Federation, is very invested in taking padel to its top and the game’s inclusion in the Olympics has been on his priority list.
At the 34th General Assembly of the International Padel Federation in Doha Carraro further committed his responsibility as he insisted including padel to the Olympics has been a dream and he is working very hard to achieve the goal.
Santiago Brito has been appointed as an advisor for the Olympic project. As quoted by insidethegames.biz Carraro said, "Every morning we wake up with the hope that one day the paddle will be united with the five Olympic rings. We are working towards this with the seriousness, concreteness and respect that this ambition demands.”
Earlier Adrian Lee, Head of Hong Kong, China Padel Association (HKCPA) also called for padel’ inclusion to the Olympics. As quoted by the South China Morning Post he said, “We’re on the correct trajectory for that [2032 Games) but it does require a little bit of centralised governance and everyone kind of working towards a single mission and vision which culminates in that Olympic qualification.
“But I’d be amazed if we weren’t already at the point where we have enough nations or players to make that a reality.”