After getting used to it at Roland-Garros, the padel now sets up shop at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. A temporary site, for this weekend only, has been created on the banks of the Seine, at the bottom of the great “Iron Lady”.
This event, from May 3 to 5, is, in fact, the grand finale of a tour – the “Betclic Remontada Padel” – organized by the 4PADEL group. Since January 2024, 10 stages across the four corners of France have brought together more than 2,000 participants to try their luck at participating in this final at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Five new courts in Paris
“We called it a tour and not a tournament. Because the event takes place with more fun rules than official competitions, and because 90% of padel players do not participate in tournaments! We wanted to target this breeding ground. It’s an uphill climb with timing and challenges. This can range from a point counting double to playing with a ski mask,” explains Guillaume Debelmas, co-founder of the 4Padel group which owns 33 complexes in France.
The finalists will meet this weekend in an iconic location with the festivities that go with it. The opening evening will take place this Friday from 7 p.m. with a celebrity match with ex-rugby player Yoann Huget, former footballer Florent Sinama-Pongolle, and double Olympic handball champion Thierry Omeyer.
A padel track at the foot of the Eiffel Tower! 🗼
You dreamed of it, 4PADEL did it! The first padel track in history at the foot of the Eiffel Tower begins to be built in @VedettesDeParis ! 😱
Come and attend this great celebration of padel in an emblematic and… pic.twitter.com/i9db4p2FOF
— 4PADEL (@4PADELFrance) May 2, 2024
Throughout the weekend, introductions to padel and finalist matches will be available free of charge for spectators. A demonstration of padel armchair will also take place in the presence of the best French players in the discipline, as will matches reserved for content creators including Domingo, 2.5 million subscribers (Twitch, YouTube).
“The goal is really to make padel a celebration and to democratize the sport. In addition, we are a stone’s throw from the future Olympic site at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. It’s an Olympic atmosphere,” enthuses Guillaume Debelmas. In the same context, the 4Padel group will open a new center in Paris intramural, Porte de Montreuil (20th arrondissement) by June with five outdoor courts.
