OFFICIAL: FIP backed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi launch new tour — starts in March: ”Will be the only official tour”

Now it's official. FIP, The International Padel Federation, backed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the President of Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) and fully supported by the Player Association, starts a new tour beginning in March.
It was confirmed in a press release on Tuesday. 

”The global tour will be fully regulated by FIP, fully supported by the world’s top players, and will benefit from a major new strategic partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). It will be the only official tour in the sport of padel.”, says the press release.  

After much speculation, the final announcement came on Tuesday. The tour will have ten tournaments in 2022 and 2023 and will start already in March. Starting in 2024, this will be expanded to 25 tournaments. 

Carraro: ”Historic day”. 

The FIP with President Luigi Carraro has strongly criticized the World Padel Tour in recent weeks. 

“Today is a historic day for the sport of padel, which for the first time will be fully regulated and professionalized on the world stage. Finally, our sport has the freedom to shape its destiny”, says the FIP President Luigi Carraro in the press release. 

The new tour will feature four top tournaments, called Majors. Further details like dates, location, venues, prize money, and broadcasters will be available shortly, according to the press release. 

“The world has only seen the tip of the iceberg of what the sport of padel can achieve on the global stage. Padel players are some of the most talented, inspiring, and gracious athletes in the world of sport – it’s time for this wonderful game and its incredible athletes to be showcased to fans around the world”, says the President of Qatar Sports Investment and the football club Paris Saint Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi in the press release. 

WPT can fine the players. 

The Player Association, led by Alejandro Galan, has criticized the World Padel Tour harshly latest weeks. And the World Padel Tour has threatened the players with heavy fines if they breach their contract. In a letter to the players, which Padel Alto was first to publish, the World Padel Tour, through its lawyers, has written that the top 20 players are not allowed to participate in competitions other than the World Padel Tour. 

The rest on the rankings are free to participate in any padel circuit, tournaments, championships, or events as long as you do not do so during the seven days before and seven days after any WPT competition. Fines between € 300,000 and € 500,000 for each defaulting player will be given, according to the letter. 

“It is no exaggeration to say that this new venture is transformational for our sport. Our beloved game will reach new heights with the players having an active role in shaping the sport’s future”, says the President of the Association, Alejandro Galan, about the new tour in the press release sent out on Tuesday. 

How the World Padel Tour acts now is still unclear. The first scheduled WPT event will start on February 22 and will be played in Miami.