Padel, the fastest-growing sport in the world was introduced in 1969 by Enrique Corcuera, which was similar to Tennis in Acapulco – a city in Mexico. The game is played in an enclosed court with a ball known as a padelball and a racket.
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.
The introduction of padel tennis in Ghana is rapidly progressing, with plans in place to establish paddle courts in key cities like Labone, Trassaco, Tema, Airports, and other areas across the country.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Univers Sports, President of the Professional Padel Association Of Ghana (PPAOG), Mr. Jean Noel, highlighted some plans to promote Padel in Ghana
We need to construct more padel Courts in Ghana. We also have plans to introduce the Sport in schools in Ghana to make the youth familiar with padel. The plan is to create more padel clubs in the country, so we can form a national team to compete in international padel tournaments, he said.
Mr. Jean Noel also stated that the Padel Association in Ghana is ready to collaborate with the Tennis and Squash Associations.
We as the Padel Association are ready to collaborate. The Padel Association is young and we are ready to work together with others to help and grow with them. Padel in Ghana is registered and collaborates with other International bodies like the International Federation of Padel (IFP) and the Confederation of African Padel (CAP). We are hoping to secure a partnership with the Olympic Committee as soon as possible, he added.
According to the International Padel Federation (IPF) in 2023, there were over 25 million active Paddle players spread across more than 90 countries worldwide.
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Story by: David Kwaku Dzaku| univers.ug.edu.gh
