From club tournaments to Olympic glory, expect padel to boom sooner than later.
High-level international padel members, as well as heads of Philippine Padel Association (PPA) shared that the growing racquet sport will be a full-fledged medal event in the 2026 Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China as well as the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.
Furthermore, they are aiming to become a demo sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with the goal of becoming a full-fledged medal event in the 2032 Brisbane Summer Games.
"This is a big thing for countries in Asia, and of course for the Philippines," said Dawn, who is the PPA president and a founder of the Manila Padel Club on Friday, January 9, during the launch of the Philippine Padel Invitational Tournament.
"It's a massive opportunity for athletes to aspire to represent the country in the Asian Games."
In the Asian Games, national federations will be aiming to send four male players and four female players to compete in the male, female, and mixed categories.
Players would have to compete in the calendar to earn points to represent the country.
"It's the fastest growing sport in the world," chimed Vincent Laureyssens, a member of the World Steering Committees for Padel (Premier Padel & International Padel Federation).
"In 2032, be prepared for an explosion in padel," the Brussels Premier Padel P2 executive president added.
@onesportsphl PADEL IN THE OLYMPICS 🔜 Exec Pres. of Brussels Premier Padel P2 Vincent Laureyssens shares that they are doing everything possible, connecting with key stakeholders who share the same passion to make padel an Olympic sport. With hopes of appearing as a demo sport in LA 2028 and becoming an official sport in Brisbane 2032. | via Maureen Muarip/One Sports #PHPadelInvitational #FIP ? original sound - OneSportsPHL
"Padel is fun"
Padel is a racquet sport which originated in Mexico and was introduced in Spain. It combined elements of tennis and squash, creating a smaller, walled court that encouraged socialization.
Laureyssens noted that the sport has also picked up steam in the Middle East, South America, and Africa. The last continent to gain interest is Asia.
"Padel is something special, unique. And it's not just a [trend]," he noted. "You can play indoor or outdoor."
"Padel is fun, social, going out, not being on the cellphone, dating, networking, meeting people. This is the best part of Manila to go after work."
"It's also about wellness, because everybody wants to be better in their health."
While padel is emerging in developed areas such as Bonifacio Global City especially for those who want to compete at a national level, Laureyssens emphasized that it was also important to grow the amateur ranks and the grassroots.
"The most important is the amateur market, the growth is in the amateurs. They have to dream of being professional," he said.
As for the Philippines, growth has to start somewhere.
"I think it's an emerging market. It's starting from zero, like what I saw in Belgium eight years ago, when there were three padel courts. And now we have 2,600 padel courts.
So in every story, you have to start from the beginning," he told One Sports.
"A new, trendy sport is always more expensive. But the more people come, the price will go down. Today, it's a trendy, more expensive sport, but it will change in the next years."
Raking in points
Athletes can compete in a full calendar starting with the Invitational Tournament from January 10 to 11.
There's also the launch of the Women's League in January 16, with the winners securing the wildcard spot in the International Padel Federation (FIP) Bronze circuit.
Players can also compete in the Women's Padel Invitational in March, as well as the Female Challenger event.
There will also be the PPA Cup in June, the PPA Cup Nationals in July, the Pink Padel Invitational In October, the Nationals in November, and the PPA National Championships in December.
The PPA is also launching a developmental team, aimed to get young athletes and hone them for the national team. This would include scholarships, training, and equipment.
"We want to discover talent from all over Philippines. It's not just limited to Metro Manila or in BGC, but it's across all the Philippines," Dawn said. "We're creating this program is to give access to players to train, to have the equipment that they need, and to make sure that they're able to play paddle without thinking of any costs."
"They just need to show up on court and play."
@onesportsphl PADEL FOR ALL 🫶🏻 Philippine Padel Association’s Justine Bacay, who leads the grassroots program, shares how they are bringing padel closer to Filipino youth by providing scholarships and training through the Future Stars Academy. | via Maureen Muarip/One Sports #PHPadelInvitational ? Presentation - wouldliker
(With reports from Maureen Muarip/One Sports)
Katrina Alba is a sports journalist and producer, notably with SportsCenter Philippines before taking on her current role at One Sports.
She primarily writes about basketball and volleyball, with experience covering the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup.
Outside of work, her hobbies include running, swimming, pickleball, yoga, arnis, and krav maga.