On Friday the International Padel Federation (FIP) filed a case against the ITF at the Court of Arbitration for Sport amid claims that tennis is trying to make a “hostile attempt to take over the governance of Padel without the consent of FIP or its members”.
This was initially reported in a handful of outlets but also by the Guardian in the UK. With Padel being the fastest growing sport in the UK the stakes are high! Governance of Padel will open up the eventual ‘winner’ so to speak to a huge role within the game.
Padel is no stranger to Tennis based organisations taking a lead on how the sport is funded and run, with the LTA already being announced as the national governing body in the UK.
“Upon including Padel within its scope, the ITF would have the mandate from the ITF members to act as the global governing body with the general objectives of harmonisation of sporting rules, fostering the growth and development of Padel, advancing Padel’s interests and promoting its integrity and reputation”, – this is on the agenda of the ITF AGM which will be held on November 14th 2022.
We will keep you updated with all the legal clarifications once we get them! Padel is an extremely attractive sport to be involved with right now, with huge growing numbers. We hope the decision that is in the best interests of our sport is made!
