Lionel Ollinger appointed vice-president of the FFT |

After his election as head of the French Tennis Federation where he beat Bernard Giudicelli, Gilles Moretton appointed Lionel Ollinger vice-president in charge of major events.

Appointment expected

He was one of the very first supporters of Gilles Moretton: Lionel Ollinger has just joined the executive committee of the FFT as vice-president. An announcement which is therefore not surprising. Le Lorrain, president of the Grand Est region, will be in charge of major events, a position created by the new president elected on February 13. The position is large since Mosellan will be at the heart of the organization of Roland-Garros, the Rolex Paris Masters and the 2024 Olympic Games. The scope of the work is enormous since with the licenses, it is a key sector in terms of income, especially through the signing of partnerships.

Good news for padel?

Could the presence of Lionel Ollinger mean a boost for the practice of padel in France. Metz was to host a stage of the FFT Padel Tour (organized by an external agency but subcontracted by the federation) on the Place de la République before the cancellation because of the confinement. In May 2020, he told Padel Magazine his ambitions for padel : promotion of padel-armchair, women's padel and child practice. “Padel is one step ahead in terms of diversity compared to tennis. I really believe in diversity, in opening up competitions to include female players. We need to introduce padel to schools and we need even more equipment. It’s an obvious path for me.”.

Finally, if the presence of Padel at the Paris Olympics is to be ruled out, the discipline has apparently acquired a valuable ally in the coming years with Ollinger who, let us recall, has also positioned himself in favor of its appearance in a future edition. His presence on the executive committee and his role could therefore contribute to accelerating the movement. Why not see padel in demonstration sport in 2024 ?