The International Federation of Padel (FIP) welcomed this important development this week: the Paraguayan Padel Federation (FEPARPA) has officially joined the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (COP).
A decision announced via a press release from the COP and confirmed by the FIP, which sees it as further proof of the progressive structuring of padel at the institutional level.

Paraguay gives padel a voice in the Olympic movement

In its press release, FEPARPA points out that this integration marks "the first time in its history" that it has obtained a place within the national Olympic movement.
For the federation's president, Diego Sebastián Galeano, this affiliation now gives padel an official voice within the Paraguayan Olympic organization, a lever to have more influence on national development.

On the FIP side, Luigi Carraro praised the move, highlighting an “important step” in the overall work of recognizing padel in international sports structures.

At the international level, several countries already have a solid institutional framework

Some key examples:

  • Italy : the Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP) is recognized by the CONI, its name change having taken effect on January 1, 2023.
  • Spain The statutes of the Spanish Padel Federation (FEP) are published and ratified within the Spanish legal framework by the Higher Sports Council (CSD).
  • Argentina: The Asociación de Pádel Argentino (APA) is recognized by the Comité Olímpico Argentino (COA) and by the Secretaría de Deportes de la Nación

These developments illustrate a trend: padel is gradually becoming established in the official sports structures, strengthening its legitimacy and future within the Olympic movement.

Why are these affiliations strategic?

In line with the logic of the Olympic movement, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) Their mission, according to the Olympic Charter and the IOC governance documents, is to:

  • to develop elite sport and sport for all in their country,
  • to contribute to the training of sports executives,
  • to select and supervise national delegations for the Games and other multi-sport competitions,
  • cooperate with public authorities in the development of sport.

For a padel federation, being recognized by these structures or working within this framework offers several potential benefits:

  • access to Olympic programs (for example, through Olympic solidarity and support programs for athletes and coaches),
  • better integration into national sports policies,
  • increased visibility among public decision-makers and other federations,
  • enhanced credibility when it comes to defending infrastructure or high-level projects.

Towards a more institutionalized padel

Padel remains a relatively young sport administratively. Many national federations have been created recently and are still in the process of being structured.

The membership of FEPARPA as an associate member of Paraguayan Olympic Committee, the recognition of the FITP by CONI, or even the publication of the statutes of the FEP au BOE However, they show a clear dynamic:

Padel is no longer content to be a "trendy" sport; it seeks to establish itself permanently in the official structures of world sport.

Paraguay thus becomes a concrete example of this evolution, with a step taken in black and white within the national Olympic framework.

sources: IOC, FIP, FIBA

Antoine Tricolet

I discovered the Padel I stumbled into Spain at a campsite. I was instantly hooked; passionate about padel for the past three years, I follow international and regional news with the same excitement as the sport itself.

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