PIC: Game4Padel
THE International Tennis Federation AGM in Glasgow has failed to pass a motion to assume overarching governance of padel after it fell short of the two thirds threshold needed to be sanctioned.
The Padel Paper understands that 57.48% of respondents voted to back the bold move which has left those at the rival padel tours of FIP and WPT apparently in a state of consternation.
Over 100 of the ITF’s 213 member nations are already leading or actively contributing to the development of padel, including the LTA – the UK’s governing body for tennis – so it had seemed certain that the proposal would get the green light.
However in a statement shared with The Padel Paper a spokesperson for tennis’s international governing body confirmed the door was far from closed on the motion: “While the majority of national tennis associations yesterday voted for this motion, it was below the two-thirds threshold that ITF governance rules require. Given the role many national tennis associations are playing in growing padel, the ITF remains open to seeking to collaborate with stakeholders.”
Yet, for good reason, concerns still exist within the ITF at padel’s failure to address issues of gender equality both in prize money and competition opportunity, the inconsistency of infrastructure across the padel playing nations and the need to adopt a single unified ranking system.
As one of the leading IOC-recognised IFs and a signatory to WADA, the ITF point to the lack of an adequate drug testing system in place within padel.
The spokesperson concluded: “Padel is currently one of the fastest growing sports in the world and many national tennis associations are involved in its development within their countries.
“As such, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) was asked by a number of its member nations to explore the need to support padel in areas such as developing a global governance framework, international competition infrastructure and enabling equal opportunities for men and women.
“This work was undertaken and presented to the 2022 ITF Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Glasgow on Monday. This allowed member associations to take a decision about whether they wished for the ITF to provide them with support to develop Padel on a global basis.”
GB women’s no.1 Tia Norton commented: “Whether or not you feel that ITF involvement in padel would be a good thing, I support the notion of bringing equality, unity and clarity to padel.
“It’s a sport which is experiencing unprecedented global growth but is in danger of losing credibility as its federations continue to fight each other in the courts but have so far fallen short of delivering gender equality or a unified global ranking system.
“I hope that after the events in Glasgow, FIP and the World Padel Tour realise the time is now for making these important changes.
As the war between the World Padel Tour and FIP rages on, it seems as if another party may have joined the fight to control the world’s fastest-growing sport.
