On the day of the finals, FIP President Luigi Carraro gave an interview to Ansa to take stock of Padel’s debut at the Mediterranean Games. “Padel’s debut at the Mediterranean Games was a great emotion and, above all, yet another confirmation of how much our sport is growing and continuing to grow around the world,” said Luigi Carraro, commenting on the sport’s debut at the event in Taranto. “In Taranto, 88 athletes representing 18 countries competed at the highest technical level, providing outstanding competition and once again demonstrating the international dimension of Padel,” Carraro emphasised.
The growth of the sport is also reflected in the figures. “Today,” he added, “we are talking about approximately 38 million players, 85,000 courts and 27,000 clubs across 178 countries and territories: figures that, until just a few years ago, would have seemed difficult to imagine.” For Carraro, however, “the value of an event such as these Games goes beyond the sporting result: Padel is an extraordinary means of socialisation, bringing people together and promoting cultural exchange.” And again: “Seeing athletes from different countries, speaking different languages and representing different traditions, share the court and the same values is one of the most powerful images that sport can offer”. According to the FIP President, “our presence at the European Games, Mediterranean Games, South American Games, Asian Games, African Games and Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games demonstrates how solid and tangible our progress within the international multi-sport movement has become”.
Finally, there is the commitment to reaching the five-ring stage: “The dream, and at the same time the great objective of the entire international Padel family, is to reach the Olympic Games. Every new country, every new athlete, every court and every participation in a multi-sport event represents a step in this direction. We are working every day, together with the national Federations and the entire international Padel community, to achieve the most important goal”.