Football, Athletics, and Boxing have remained the most popular Sports in Ghana since independence. The various trophies and medals won in these sports have made it popular over the years. The country pays little or no attention to lesser-known sports such as Tennis, Badminton, and Taekwondo among others.
In 1969, Enrique Corcuera invented a Sport known as Paddle which was similar to Tennis in Acapulco – a city in Mexico. Similar to modern-day Tennis, padel is played in an enclosed court with a ball known as a padelball and one will also need a racket to play the sport.
Although paddle tennis has the same scoring system as modern-day tennis, the rules, strokes, and techniques are different. Padel is most commonly played by four people in a game of doubles, though it can also be played individually.
An attempt to introduce Padel tennis in Ghana is developing at a faster rate. Currently, there have been plans to establish paddle courts in cities in Accra, such as Labone, Trassaco, Tema, Airports, and other places in the country. As of 2023, the International Padel Federation (IPF) stated that there are over 25 million active Paddle players in more than 90 countries in the world.
Speaking to Radio Univers Sports Journalist Abraham Nii Quaye at the Padel Open Championship in Spintex, Vice President of the Professional Padel Association Of Ghana (PPAOG), Nour Seklaoui, outlined some ways to introduce and promote Padel in Ghanaian Schools
The federation is trying to promote Padel in so many ways, one of them is the introduction of Padel to schools in Ghana, organizing more tournaments, and bringing certified coaches to train people. We are also in talks with the Ministry of Education to make schools available for the games, he said
Mr. Nour Seklaoui also stated that the lack of interest from individuals to participate in the Sports is a major challenge facing the federation in Ghana.
Some of the challenges faced so far are that there is no or less interest from individuals as they do not see the need to participate in Padel Tennis. Another challenge we are facing is that the courts in Ghana are not provided with shelter hence the games need to halt whenever it rains, he added.
Padel tennis was recognized in the 2023 European Games and the International paddle Federation has set a target for paddle to have 75 National Federations in order to be included as an Olympic Sport for the 2030 Summer Olympic Games.
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Story by: David Kwaku Dzaku| univers.ug.edu.gh
