Booming new sport backed by Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal receives huge boost in its bid to become an Olympic sport
Padel has been given a major boost in its attempts to become an Olympic sport following the addition of a team-based competition backed by Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal to its official tour, according to the head of the sport’s governing body.
The integration of the Hexagon World Series into the official padel recognition calendar has brought a previously celebrity-driven format under the formality of the International Padel Federation (FIP). The move is strengthened by the backing of 54, the sports agency behind LIV Golf.
This represents an important step in the growth of elite padel’s audience, and one which the president of the FIP, Luigi Carraro, believes will further endow the sport to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as it takes another positive step towards inclusion at Brisbane 2032.
Speaking to Daily Mail Sport , Carraro said: ‘It’s a historic day because this new format of competition will help the International Padel Federation to achieve its dream, the dream of all padel players, men and women of all ages, to become Olympic players.
‘When I met with members of the IOC, they said to me, “I saw the Hexagon Cup and I believe the inclusion of the Hexagon Cup within the ecosystem will help you achieve becoming an Olympic sport.”
‘It’s a team competition composed of both men and women. For the IOC, men and women competing together is very important. In padel, we can play men, women, and we can play mixed. The Hexagon Cup, having a team composed of both men and women, is a demonstration of how much padel is a gender-equal sport.’
Padel has been given a major boost in its attempts to become an Olympic sport following the addition of a team-based competition backed by Andy Murray to its official tour
The integration of the Hexagon World Series into the official padel calendar recognition has brought a previously celebrity-driven format under the formality of the governing body
Padel has experienced a remarkable surge in popularity both globally and in the UK, where the number of courts has increased by 1,900 per cent over the past six years – from just 50 in 2019 to around 1,000 nationwide today
Converting that interest from those who play the sport for leisure towards watching the best players compete on the international stage is now the largest remaining task that will enable padel to become IOC-recognized.
And while the details of the Hexagon World Series are still being refined – with the competition format, teams and calendar of events yet to be announced – organizers say it will not look too different from editions of the popular Hexagon Cup, which saw more than 30,000 spectators attend and two million people tune in on YouTube earlier this year.
The format, which has been contested by six teams, features three playing pairs per team, made up of top men’s, women’s and next-generation players, with each team owned by a high-profile figure, including the likes of Murray, Nadal, Sergio Aguero, Robert Lewandowski and Eva Longoria.
Carraro continued: ‘It’s a confirmation of this sport – which involves personalities such as Eva Longoria, Rafa Nadal and Robert Lewandowski, who are already investors – and of how much interest it generates.
‘The broadcasters, the media, the big personalities from entertainment and from other sports. This is the perfect way to show the IOC and the international sporting community what padel is and what its potential is.’
The new circuit will complement Premier Padel, FIP’s flagship professional tour for individual pairs. Together, they will form the global professional circuit for elite players: one tour for the world’s top pairs and one team-based competition, both under the governance of the FIP.
Gary Davidson, 54’s group chief operating officer, told Daily Mail Sport: ‘We haven’t put a ceiling on how big this can get, but at the same time we want to do it in a way that’s sustainable.
The Hexagon Cup has been contested by teams owned by a high-profile figure, including the likes of Murray, Nadal, Sergio Aguero (above), Robert Lewandowski and Eva Longoria
‘Could this get to 12 to 14 events a year? Maybe. Could it involve 12 to 16 teams? Maybe – but not next year. It’s on an amazing growth trajectory, but we would rather create real demand and excitement around the additional three or four events that we’ll do next year and then use that as the platform to grow.’
Growing the platform will involve bringing in broadcasters to show the events on television, with past editions of the Hexagon Cup featuring live coverage of the semi-finals and finals on the free ITVX streaming service, as well as post-match highlights on ITV4.
Davidson added: ‘One of the things that makes this slightly unique, when we look at a lot of the big mainstream sports properties – particularly the traditional ones, football, cricket and tennis – is that they’re really underpinned by linear broadcast rights. We’re not.
‘That’s partly reflective of the position padel is at the moment, in that it’s commanding thousands of viewers per event, but not millions. That shows there’s room for growth. There are 35 million people who currently participate in this sport.
‘If we can give them a different product to engage with, we think we could make many more people watch.’
