At a press conference held at Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona, Luigi Carraro, president of the International Federation of Padel (FIP), unveiled an ambitious anti-doping program.
A partnership with recognized institutions
Carraro introduced Donatella Delgaudio, director of Institutional Relations of the FIP for a year. Former collaborator of the European Olympic Committees, she now plays a key role in the development of anti-doping policy. "Donatella works with us, alongside Premier Padel, by David Serrahima, by Guillermo Alcaide (our sports director), as well as with the International Olympic Committee (IOC),World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Agency for Control (ITA) He explained.
An educational program for players
The FIP is adopting a proactive approach with the organization, on January 20, of a educational webinar in partnership with the ITA. Aimed at players, this event will address the obligations related to compliance with anti-doping rules. Carraro emphasizes the importance of awareness: “We want to help players understand what it means to live with anti-doping. It’s a completely different world.”
Checks soon to be systematic
Faced with criticism over the lack of recent controls, Carraro clarified: "It's not that there have been no controls, but it depends on the national federations organizing the tournaments. They can, at any time, trigger anti-doping tests." He nevertheless assured that procedures in line with WADA and ITA standards will be put in place from next season.
A rigorous and structured approach
Carraro concluded by stressing that the entire budgets of the FIP and Premier Padel for 2024 will include lines dedicated to the development of anti-doping. "We want to do things seriously. From January, a structured plan will be operational, with rigorous monitoring of players regarding their whereabouts and obligations."
This program marks a major step for padel, aimed at guaranteeing fair competition that meets international standards.
Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.