While life is resuming everywhere in France: new metros crowded, parks stormed, the beaches of Biarritz reopened, playgrounds where twenty young people meet, or even schools that welcome again children, certain sports remain in the eye of the storm such as tennis and padel.

Why ? Who makes the decisions ? We will see that it is far from simple.

Should we blame the FFT?

Haro on the FFT for several days by Internet users who do not understand why the padel still can't be practiced by fans? Why has tennis been so constrained by all safety standards?

The French Tennis Federation unfortunately had no choice. Faced with government decisions and the advice of the college of scientific experts, what could it do other than follow all these recommendations? In reality, during this crisis, it did not have all the cards in hand.

It undergoes even more than we think, like all the sports federations.

Suppose that the FFT has authorized tennis and padel, without restriction, and despite the opinions of experts, what would have been said about the FFT? His responsibility would have been very great if a player turned out to be ill because of the reopening of the clubs.

The FFT is perfectly aware of the gravity of the situation by already communicating on a plan of 35 million euros that it will inject into the tennis ecosystem / Padel / Beach.

But this will not be enough, and above all, it is necessary that all the actors linked to the FFT can benefit from this plan, the private sector included. A sector that will have to fight and which is already fighting to avoid a permanent closure. This is where the FFT will be eagerly awaited.

Scientific experts very criticized. Wrongly ?

The scientific experts played a predominant role in this choice of the FFT not to authorize the reopening of the clubs of padel. The President of the FFT, Bernard Giudicelli, moreover perfectly indicated it by explaining that the FFT followed the recommendations and opinions of the college of scientific experts. Can we blame him? Who would have done otherwise?

We have tried to find out more about these experts to no avail. But it is a safe bet that these are great professionals who know much more than the majority of people.

The great misunderstanding

However, we cannot help but be surprised by this decision of the FFT concerning the padel. First of all, when we look around us. Life resumes and social distancing is no longer respected from the moment we see schools reopen, public transport resume…. Why such a difference in treatment?

Just look around. On the one hand we are told to be careful and on the other, we see people crammed into the subway trains. How to manage to find your way around?

Scientific experts are certainly on the front lines and are doing very important work. But their work is full of contradictions.

The signal given outside is very vague. On the one hand, we hear the pro-Raoults tell us that there is a solution and that it is a virus that will disappear on its own (seasonal virus) and that is starting to run out.

And on the other side, scientists predict a second wave and claim that there is no treatment to date, which does not prevent the French army from stocking chloroquine…

How can the FFT then reasonably find its way when the world is in uncertainty? The FFT applied the precautionary principle. Nothing illogical.

The icing on the cake that hurts: the others resume

This is Kristina Clément the Export Director of NOX PADEL which sums up the situation: “After Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, it is now the turn of the LTA (the English Tennis Federation) to announce this evening the possible return to the courts of padel outdoor in 1 against 1 from tomorrow…. ”

And during that time, no padel on the horizon for our French clubs, even if things should change by early June. Courage, a little more patience!

Illustration: David NIEMIETZ

 

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.

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