Qatar capable of hosting Olympics: world padel chief

Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation (FIP), believes Qatar has the capability to host the Olympic Games, given its success in organising major sporting events and its advanced infrastructure.
Speaking at the World Padel Championship, which is currently underway in Doha, Carraro praised the efforts of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel, and Badminton Federation in developing and promoting padel in the region. He noted that Qatar’s hosting of the World Padel Championship in 2021 significantly raised the sport’s profile and professionalism, and that the current championship is witnessing strong international participation.
Carraro said: “Qatar has always played a distinguished role in the development of padel, particularly through its support for the establishment of the Padel Premier Tour, which held its inaugural tournament, the Qatar Grand Padel Championship, in Doha.”
He highlighted the Qatari Federation’s fundamental role in hosting numerous high-level international tournaments. Carraro expressed hope that padel will be included in the Olympic Games, mentioning ongoing efforts to train players and organise competitions in anticipation of this inclusion.
He noted the sport’s rapid growth worldwide saying: “Our ambition is for padel to become an Olympic sport. We believe in its potential to enter the Olympic programme, especially with our strong relationship with the International Olympic Committee as we work to meet the necessary conditions.”
Qatar go down again; Argentina, Spain cruise into quarters
Meanwhile, World Champions Argentina and four-time winners Spain were the first to book their places in the quarter-finals of the FIP World Padel Championships, while Qatar went down fighting to Uruguay in their last Group C tie.
Although Uruguay clinched a 2-1 victory over Qatar, home pair Ahmed Alhijji and Mohammed Saadon al-Kuwari impressed with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win against Nicolas Rosas and Ignacio Rosas Etulain in the last of the three encounters. Uruguayan pair Martin Araujo de Lizarza and Matias Ilardia Meyer opened the tie with a strong 6-3, 6-3 win over Qatar’s Hassan A. Waly and Jabor al-Mutawa. Higor Ensslin Alves and Diego Ramos put Uruguay 2-0 up defeating Mohamed al-Khanji and Ahmed Hassan 6-2, 6-1.
Earlier, the women’s quarter-final lineup was completed with heavyweights Spain, Argentina and France booking their last eight spots without conceding a set throughout the group stage. The group toppers, along with Italy, who lost only one set in the Group stage, will face off against the best second-placed teams, including Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden, in the quarter-finals today.
In yesterday’s last round of group stage action, Argentina powered past Portugal 3-0 while France achieved a similar clean sweep over Germany.
Brazil also displayed formidable strength against Chile, winning 3-0, while Italy defeated Sweden 2-1 in a closely contested match. Japan secured their first win in Doha by overcoming Uruguay 2-1, while the USA crushed Egypt 3-0. Reigning champions Spain also put on a dominant display, blanking Germany 3-0 to stamp their dominance once again.
In today’s quarter-finals, Spain will face Sweden, while France will go up against Portugal. Eight-time champions Argentina are set to take on the Netherlands in another last-eight clash, while Italy will take on Brazil for a place in the semi-finals.