Lionel Ollinger appointed vice-president of the FFT |

After his election as head of the French Tennis Federation where he beat Bernard Giudicelli, Gilles Moretton appointed Lionel Ollinger vice-president in charge of major events.

Appointment expected

He was one of the very first supporters of Gilles Moretton: Lionel Ollinger has just joined the executive committee of the FFT as vice-president. An announcement which is therefore not surprising. Le Lorrain, president of the Grand Est region, will be in charge of major events, a position created by the new president elected on February 13. The position is large since Mosellan will be at the heart of the organization of Roland-Garros, the Rolex Paris Masters and the 2024 Olympic Games. The scope of the work is enormous since with the licenses, it is a key sector in terms of income, especially through the signing of partnerships.

Good news for the padel ?

Could the presence of Lionel Ollinger mean a boost for the practice of padel in France. Metz was to host a stage of the FFT Padel Tour (organized by an external agency but subcontracted by the federation) on the Place de la République before the cancellation because of the confinement. In May 2020, he told Padel Magazine his ambitions for padel : promotion of padel-armchair, padel female and child practice. "The padel is one step ahead of gender diversity compared to tennis. I strongly believe in this diversity, in the opening of competitions including the players. We must set up the discovery of padel in schools and we need even more equipment. This is an obvious lead for me ”.

Finally, if the presence of padel at the Paris Olympics should be ruled out, the discipline has apparently acquired a precious ally in the years to come with Ollinger who, let us remember, has also positioned himself in favor of its appearance in a future edition. His presence on the executive committee and his role could therefore help accelerate the movement. Why not see the padel en demonstration sport in 2024 ?