The Peninsula
Just two weeks after its official launch, The International Padel Federation (FIP), the governing body of padel, has today revealed the first details of the new Official tour.
In the first of a series of announcements planned over the coming days, FIP has today confirmed officially that 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 Doha, Qatar on 28 March to 2 April.
The three other category 1 events will be announced shortly. The prize money for category 1 event will be €525,000 for each tournament.
The 10 new FIP official tournaments in 2022 – which have immediate ranking points – are in addition to the 120 scheduled tournaments that are already part of the FIP calendar, spanning over 40 countries worldwide.
Doha was the host city of the World Padel Championship in November last year, in what was widely regarded as the most successful padel tournament ever. Over recent times, Doha has become the leading destination for major sports events, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the World Athletic Championships, annual ATP and WTA tennis tournaments and, later this year, the FIFA World Cup 2022.
FIP has also announced today the ranking points system that will govern the new Official tour. The ranking points system will comprise: 2000 points attributed to the winning pair of category 1 events; 1000 points for category 2 events; 500 points for category 3 events; and then relevant points laddering down the existing CUPRA FIP Tour.
Over the coming days, FIP is also expected to announce a major new international broadcaster partner, which will elevate the sport of padel to never-seen-before levels in various key international markets.
This new chapter for padel under the leadership of FIP is fully supported by the world’s leading players, represented by the Professional Players Association (PPA); and a new global strategic partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).
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 including the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 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.
Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation (FIP), said: “The reaction we have received since the new Official tour launched, only two weeks ago, is absolutely astonishing. From host cities to international broadcasters to major sponsors and other commercial partners – including some of the biggest brands and names in sport. We are delighted to open the Official new tour in Doha on 28 March, in what will be the greatest tournament ever hosted in padel. We’re also delighted to reveal the prize money for category 1 tournaments, together with our new ranking points system. Never ever have we had such excitement around our sport, nor such a positive and professional future for our players.”