Padel continues speedy progress in direction of Olympics with launch of landmark new occasion
The launch of the Hexagon World Series could end up being looked back on as the watershed moment for the racket sport that is played by more than 30 million people worldwide.
The world’s fastest-growing participation sport, padel, took a big leap towards its long-term aim of reaching the Olympics on a landmark day for the sport.
The launch of the Hexagon World Series could end up being looked back on as the watershed moment for the racket sport that is played by more than 30 million people worldwide.
In the UK, participation in padel is soaring, but the challenge has been to create the same appeal for spectators.
The Hexagon World Series, sanctioned by the International Padel Federation (FIP), is seeking to bridge that gap with a team competition led by high-profile celebrities including Andy Murray, Anthony Joshua, and Sergio Aguero.
It builds on the Hexagon Cup, a standalone competition in Madrid which will be played in January.
For Enrique Buenaventura, the founder of the Hexagon Cup, this new development is the opportunity to accelerate the sport’s push for Olympic recognition.
He said: “Our mission is to help grow padel worldwide, unlock new commercial opportunities, and contribute decisively to its Olympic journey.”
FIP president Luigi Carraro explained that he had already been in conversation with IOC delegates about padel’s long-term ambition to make it onto the Olympic stage, with the 2032 Games in Brisbane potentially a target for its introduction.
The team format of the Hexagon World Series, which sees teams of two men and two women compete with their scores combined, is in keeping with the IOC’s emphasis on gender equality.
And for up-and-coming padel players, like Spain’s Pablo Cardona, who is in the Rafael Nadal Academy Team, that Olympic possibility is one that is welcomed by the players.
He said: “Playing at the Olympics would be a dream for all of the players. But it does not depend only on the players. It’s more dependent on those who manage the sport, and the world of padel and the supporters so that it can keep growing. But of course, playing at the Olympics would be a dream for us.
“If it is part of the Olympics, it would mean that padel has become a global sport. That is really important.
“There are some sports that are not in the Olympics which are amazing with well-known stars, but I think if padel could get to the Olympics, that would be amazing and would show where we are going on a global level.”
