Paddle tennis is a sport that has quickly established itself in Spain and Latin America. Despite being similar to tennis and badminton, it has not yet become an Olympic sport. Taking advantage of the pull of skateboarding or breakdance, when will paddle tennis be part of the Olympics?
All padel enthusiasts would like to see a match at the next Olympic Games, as is the case with other racket disciplines. It would be the definitive jump that this sport would need, although for this it is necessary to comply with the rules of the Olympic Committee to enter as a sports discipline.
Requirements to achieve it
There are only 28 Olympic disciplines and, despite the fact that the demands are not many, paddle tennis is still a growing sport. However, for them to one day be able to do so, they will need:
- Have a international federation recognized by the Olympic Committee and subject to its code of ethics. They will have to be in charge of setting international standards, organizing championships and controlling this sport on an international level.
- legislation anti-doping It is another of the rules that must be followed to access the category of Olympic sport. It must comply with the World Anti-Doping Code to prevent players from taking illegal substances. In the event that they did, they would have a penalty.
- For its inclusion, paddle tennis must be a sport practiced by men in a minimum of 75 countries and 4 continents. In the case of women, it is reduced to a minimum of 40 countries and 3 continents. When the Winter Olympics are held, these figures would be lower by establishing that it must be practiced in a minimum of 25 countries and a total of 3 continents.
However, many of these points are already met by paddle tennis. It has a recognized international federation that establishes the general rules at the international level and that has a worldwide competition, such as the World Padel Tour. In addition, they have an anti-doping plan, so it would not be a problem to become an Olympic sport.
Needs to be practiced in more countries
This is the only requirement that remains to be met. Paddle tennis is a successful sport in Spain and Argentina, despite the fact that Mexico is the cradle of this sport. The rest of the countries in which it is being implemented also seem to be well received. However, it still does not meet the expansion required by the IOC.
In 2014 the last revision was made, where the International Padel Federation ratified the existence of 24 state federations on 4 continents. So it is quite far from reaching the 75 countries that are established as a minimum. Keep in mind that in many countries the practice of paddle tennis is superficial.
In addition, the International Olympic Committee has introduced a new rule for the incorporation of new sports disciplines, setting a limit of 28 sports, 300 events and 10,500 athletes. This implies that to register a new sport, one of those who already belongs to the Olympic Games should leave his place. So it is something difficult to achieve and that makes things even more complicated for paddle tennis.
You also have to know that the regulations say that a sport will be added to the Olympic Games seven years prior to participation. So we will have to wait a long time to see this sport in such a demanding competition.
