The Olympics are the ultimate achievement for many athletes, as it is the most important sporting event worldwide. Unfortunately, the sport of padel is not yet in the Olympic Games, and it could be several years before we see it for the first time. But, if padel is one of the most popular and fastest-growing sports in the world, why can't it be in the Olympics? Below, we will tell you why Olympic padel is not yet a reality.

These are the 3 reasons why Olympic padel does not exist

For a sport to be in the Olympics, it has to meet certain requirements. It is true that padel has already met several of them, but not the most relevant ones. If we talk about the approved requirements, padel meets the following:

• Have an international federation that establishes the general rules of the sport. This is already in place with the International Padel Federation (FIP).
• Have an anti-doping system in official competitions.
• Not be a sport that requires propulsion, meaning no type of machinery to be practiced.

Despite meeting these requirements, padel faces other difficulties, which can be grouped into three major requirements.

It does not have the required global expansion

This is undoubtedly the most crucial point, from which to start. The International Olympic Committee states that a sport must be established in 75 countries and 4 continents in total. When they mention established, they refer to padel being federated in those countries, meaning having a Federation that legally regulates it. Currently, there are 45 federations in total, so 30 more are still needed. That is why a lot of effort is being made to ensure padel continues to grow in all corners of the world.

Padel does not have the antiquity required for an Olympic sport

This requirement is also one of the most complicated, and it can add a considerable waiting time even after the first one has been met. For a sport to enter the Olympic Games, it must already be an Olympic sport for at least 7 years. That is, once padel is declared an Olympic sport, at least 7 more years will have to pass before it can be a candidate for the Olympic Games.

The number of sports participating in the Olympics is fixed

Even when a sport is already Olympic and has passed the minimum waiting time, there is the difficulty that the number of sports participating in the Olympics is limited. For example, in the last Tokyo Olympics, 33 different sports participated with more than 45 disciplines. However, the number of existing Olympic sports is greater, so getting a spot is almost always difficult. Often, it is easier for a sport to enter the catalog of the Olympic Games when the competition takes place where this sport is more popular. So, we could see a similar case when the Olympic Games are held in a country where padel is a way of life, such as in Spain or Argentina.