Padel debuts at the Asian Games in Nagoya — Asharq Al-Awsat

Padel has entered the Asian Games programme for the first time as a medal discipline. The competitions began on September 28 in the Japanese city of Nagoya, where matches are being held at the Higashi Sports Center, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

A new sport in the Games programme

Padel combines elements of tennis and squash: it is usually played in pairs on a court surrounded by glass walls, off which the ball can be hit. Solid rackets are used for the game, while the courts themselves are smaller than tennis courts.

After winning the opening match, Philippine athlete Joshea Malazarte, who competes alongside Danna Abad, noted that padel is already very popular in Europe, while in Asia the sport is only beginning to develop. According to sports officials, padel is played in 170 countries and territories, with about 85,000 courts worldwide. The number of players is estimated at 38 million.

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The federation’s Olympic goal

Donatella Del Gaudio, a representative of the International Padel Federation, called the discipline’s debut at the Asian Games confirmation of its global growth. According to her, the federation’s next goal is to include padel in the Olympic programme, although this requires compliance with Olympic procedures and deadlines.

The sport’s popularity is also boosted by interest from prominent athletes, including footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, and Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen. More than 80,000 spectators attended a professional padel tournament at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris this month.

At the Asian Games, public attention was drawn, in particular, to a tense match between Japan’s Teruaki Ando and Shinnosuke Nakamura and a pair from Lebanon, which was won by the Japanese representatives.