Padel is not yet an Olympic sport. But on Olympic Day, June 23, 2026, the International Padel Federation explained why that dream is no longer a side note: the sport is growing fast, becoming more structured and sending more signals toward the Olympic movement.
Olympic padel: the short answer
No, padel is not currently on the Olympic Games programme. This is not an official announcement of inclusion. However, the FIP clearly embraces that goal and points to a global base that gives the case more weight: more than 35 million players, around 100 affiliated national federations across five continents and more than 80,000 courts worldwide.
Those figures do not guarantee a place at the Games. They show that padel is no longer driven only by historic strongholds such as Spain or Argentina. Its growth now reaches Northern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and North America, with increasingly visible international governance.
Why the FIP talks about a pathway to the Games
Olympic Day gives the FIP a chance to place padel within an institutional trajectory. The sport has already appeared at the 2023 European Games and the 2022 South American Games. It is also expected at the 2026 Mediterranean Games, while recognition by the Olympic Council of Asia has opened the way to the Asian Games.
This progress shows a step-by-step strategy: increasing appearances in major multi-sport events, structuring international competitions, strengthening national federations and proving that padel can exist beyond its professional tour. That kind of credibility matters when a sport wants to convince Olympic bodies.
A credible dream, but not a done deal
Caution is still essential. A sport’s entry into the Games depends on the International Olympic Committee, the programme of each edition and many sporting, economic and logistical criteria. Padel still has to prove that it can deliver a worldwide competition that is balanced, spectacular, easy to follow and genuinely universal.
But the context has changed. With a more structured professional circuit, more national federations and a player base that keeps growing, padel now has serious arguments. Olympic Day is not a qualification for the Games. It is a reminder that Olympic padel has become a strategic objective closely watched across the sport.
Source: International Padel Federation.
Olympic padel: key answers
Questions around Olympic padel often focus on the same points: whether it is already in the Games, when it could happen, what the FIP is doing and what conditions still matter.
FAQ – Olympic padel
1. Is padel an Olympic sport?
No. At this stage, padel is not part of the Olympic Games programme. The FIP is working to strengthen the sport’s international case.
2. Can padel become Olympic?
Yes, that is the FIP’s stated ambition, but inclusion is not guaranteed. The decision depends on the International Olympic Committee and the programme selected for each edition.
3. Why do global padel numbers matter?
They show that the sport is growing beyond its historic countries. Affiliated federations, participation and court numbers all support padel’s international credibility.
4. Which events bring padel closer to the Olympic movement?
Appearances at the 2023 European Games, the 2022 South American Games, the 2026 Mediterranean Games and the pathway toward the Asian Games give padel important multi-sport exposure.
