arek Kamel, CEO ofOh West, takes stock of the FIP Star Cairo which ended last week.

This tournament a success… which calls for others

 Padel Magazine : After this FIP Star tournament in Cairo, all the lights seem to be green, what is your assessment of this tournament? 

 Tarek Kamel:  “It was really very pleasant, the quality of play was exceptional. We are very happy to have hosted this event within O West and the way the tournament was organised. We can hope that other tournaments will be organized there in the months and years to come. »

 Padel Magazine : It was your first FIP ​​tournament, right? 

 Tarek Kamel  : “Yes, indeed it was our first FIP ​​tournament here in Egypt. Now, we have a big project with the federation, which would be to host 4 international tournaments in 2022. We expect to see padel continue its rise in the coming years in Egypt as it is the case in Europe. We want to make sure that this wonderful sport is played in Egypt and why not, that very soon our compatriots find themselves in the final of a tournament of this magnitude.”

 Padel Magazine : We have had an interview with George Wakim, who told us that several local-only tournaments would take place here this year, right? 

 Tarek Kamel  : "Yes, we have 2 local tournaments that are scheduled. We want to promote Egyptian padel of course, and this is the opportunity to do so. The first tournament starts next month, and I am very eager to see the best Egyptian players compete. And after that, maybe we will have Egyptians capable of qualifying for big tournaments and I think we will surely have Egyptian champions very soon who will dominate the padel scene."

“Duplicate the squash model with padel”

 Padel Magazine : What are your personal ambitions regarding the development of padel in Egypt?  

 Tarek Kamel:  " Our company  orascom  introduced the El Gouna Squash Open in partnership with IEvents 11 years ago now, and today it is one of the biggest squash tournaments in the world. Our ambition is to duplicate the same model with padel, and I hope to meet with the same success.

 Padel Magazine : Last question, when I think of squash, I think of the Pyramids. In my mind I say to myself, and why not organize a tournament of Padel permanent near the Pyramids too? 

 Tarek Kamel  : " Because in reality from O West you can still see the Pyramids so it's all the same (laughs)”.

To watch the interview in its entirety, go here:

Nasser Hoverini

Passionate about football, I discovered padel in 2019. Since then, I have been crazy in love with this sport to the point of abandoning my favorite sport.

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