Renowned padel player Willy Lahoz has been enlisted by Balwin Sport to grow the sport in South Africa through celebrity exhibitions, coaching workshops, talent scouting and developing underprivileged players.
Lahoz, a winner of two world championship titles, arrived in South Africa on Tuesday 6 February to host several coaching clinics for corporates, individuals and groups countrywide for the next 12 months.
Lahoz’s visit is the brainchild of Steve Brookes, CEO of JSE-listed Balwin Properties, as part of its aim to promote a healthier lifestyle among clients, staff, and all South Africans through Balwin Sport.
A large emphasis of Lahoz’s tenure in South Africa will be on identifying and developing underprivileged players with talent.
Brookes commented: “Padel is a sport that connects people more than any other – it is therefore an ideal addition to our family-orientated lifestyle estates.
“Highly skilled players can compete with beginners and it’s a great sport to watch. Having Willy share his experience and knowledge could be a catalyst for padel in South Africa to rise to the next level by coaching experienced players as well as beginners and introducing more youth as part of growing talent in the country.”
Lahoz, who runs a padel academy in Spain where he coaches professional players, led the Spanish national team to victory at the world championships in 1998 and 2010. He was awarded a silver medal for sporting merit by the Royal Spanish Padel Federation.
Lahoz will pair with Cape Town-based and South Africa’s number one padel player, Jason Blakey-Milner, to participate in exhibition and celebrity matches.
“Padel is a strategic game, hence it requires coaching. Lahoz, who works with some of the world’s top players, is excellently positioned to grow the Balwin Padel brand and unleash new talent,” said Sebastian Brokmann, Chief of Padel at Balwin Padel.
According to Brokmann, South Africa has 400 padel courts with the potential to grow to about 2 500 courts. Coaching clinics will be held across the country at select Balwin lifestyle estates, where interested players and residents will be able to interact with Lahoz. These include Izinga Smart City in Durban, Munyaka at Waterfall City, Thaba Eco Estate south of Johannesburg and Mooikloof in Pretoria among others.
Balwin Padel, which launched in 2023, aims to promote a healthier lifestyle among its clients, staff, and all South Africans.
For 2024, Balwin Padel has increased the prize money of its annual padel tournament from R375 000 to R1 million. The tournament will take place at the iconic Thaba Eco Estate, sporting state-of-the-art lifestyle facilities that are also available to the public on a membership basis. Tournament dates will be confirmed at a later stage.
