(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha, Rome, London: Premier Padel is delighted to announce that the world's leading female padel athletes are to join the international tour. Over 110 of the leading female players have signed for Premier Padel with several more expected to join shortly.
The women's competition will take place alongside the men's in the Premier Padel calendar, with discussions now to begin with local venue promoters to assess which tournaments can immediately accommodate the women's circuit.
Today's announcement is a historical moment for Premier Padel – the official global padel tour and the only one governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and backed by the Professional Padel Association (PPA). The involvement of female athletes, under the leadership of the International Padel Players Association (IPPA), strengthens Premier Padel in every aspect as a platform for top-tier competition and the trusted tour of all professional padel athletes.
Launched by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), FIP and the PPA just over a year ago, Premier Padel has taken the sport to new heights – expanding the number of territories where padel is played at the very top standard, whilst placing players at its very heart.
With the opening tournament of the season – the Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel – completed, attention next turns to Rome, with venues for the women's players to be announced once discussions with promoters are finalised.
Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation (FIP), said:“Today is a proud and historic day for padel. Since Premier Padel was launched only a year ago, we have worked hard to have both men and women compete on this global Tour. With over 110 female players already signed up and many more expected, I am delighted with the progress we have made as we continue to take padel to new heights and grow the sport across the globe.”
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of Premier Padel, said:“When we launched Premier Padel just over a year ago we made the commitment to have both men and women players play in our tour. With this historic announcement, I am very proud to say that we have achieved our ambition in just over a year since the creation of the tour. Now we look forward to watching our sport continue to thrive and grow – this is only the start for Premier Padel.”
The International Padel Players Association, said:“After conversing for months, the majority of the IPPA players voted to play Premier Padel in 2023, giving support this way to the circuit. With this commitment we want to strengthen our sport alongside men's padel. Premier Padel is a fantastic project for padel, specially women's padel, as well as the international projection of our sport.”
The 2023 Premier Padel season will be broadcast live around the world in more than 180 territories on the likes of ESPN (South America, Central America, Mexico and Caribbean), beIN SPORTS (MENA, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey), Viaplay (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa), Canal+ (France, Poland, Netherlands & other global territories) and many more.