DOHA: The official new global padel tour – governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and backed by the Professional Players Association (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) – today announced a broadcasting deal, with ESPN revealed as the Official tour’s broadcast partner in LATAM, covering South America, Central America, Mexico and Caribbean. The Disney-owned broadcaster has signed a four-year agreement to be the home of padel in the Americas in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
This week is also expected to see the launch of the Official tour’s new name, logo and other brand identities.
Since its launch a month ago, FIP, PPA and QSI have made a flurry of major announcements connected to the new Official tour, including confirming at least 10 new tournaments will be held this year – including four category 1 events – with the first category 1 event confirmed to take place in Qatar on 28 March to 2 April. Registrations for the first Official tournament have already broken all records, with 123 pairs registered including players from 19 different countries. The prize money for each category 1 event – which is also a record – has been disclosed as €525,000 for each tournament, while significant new ranking points for the new tour have also been announced.
This new chapter for padel under the leadership of FIP sees the professionalization and globalisation of the sport fully supported by the world’s leading players, represented by the Professional Players Association (PPA); and a new global strategic partnership with QSI. QSI is the investment group behind several world-leading sports brands and businesses, and will provide expertise and business acumen in developing sports and brands on the global stage.
Importantly, the new tour is the only Official tour in padel, being under the governance and regulation of FIP, having the benefit of FIP’s Official player ranking system, and falling within the auspices of the wider international sports community. Uniquely from a governance perspective, under FIP’s Official tour, player representatives sit on various committees directly helping to shape the future of their game.
