O West — a subsidiary of Orascom Development — unveiled its 2022 plans for Paddle in Egypt, becoming the biggest hub for this young and popular sport.
Kicking off the year with the launch of the first FIP Star International Paddle Tournament from 11 to 13 March at O West under the auspices of the International Paddle Federation (FIP), the Egyptian Paddle Federation (under establishment), and in cooperation with IEVENTS.
The announcement was made during a press conference organised by O West in the presence of Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy.
For his part, Sobhy said that this step comes in line with the Egyptian government’s direction in supporting sports tournaments and shedding light on the importance of cooperation with the private sector to support this promising sport.
“Paddle has lately become one of the fastest spreading sports. You can rarely find a place without a Paddle court, and today, we are witnessing the launch of the first international Paddle tournament at O West. The sport gained the interest of many athletes, as they tend to play it after ending their sports career and participating in many tournaments,” he said.
During his speech, the minister stressed the role of sports investments in increasing the base of practicing sports through private clubs, which have increased to 40 clubs, however, some of them are still under establishment, adding that “currently, we are working on cooperation with businessmen and the private sector to support youths.”
Tarek Kamel, the CEO of O West commented: “Backed by our state-of-the-art Sports club, we have decided that O West would become a suitable hub for the Paddle in Egypt. Consequently, this year, O West will unprecedentedly host a set of international tournaments, namely two FIP Stars tournaments, one FIP Gold tournament, and one Promising Kids tournaments under the auspices of the FIP in addition to two other local tournaments starting in Ramadan that will be supervised by the Egyptian Paddle Federation.”
“Paddle is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide, as it brings together all ages and personalities. Thus, we are keen to be at the forefront of adopting the game and encouraging its players by equipping O West Sports Club with the needed infrastructure and tournaments.”
O West Sports Club covers an area of 38 feddans. Reinforced by a number of specialised sports academies, it is the largest integrated sports and social club in West Cairo, offering distinguished professional services to club members.”
Samy Saad, the Chairperson of Orascom Development Egypt, accentuated that over the past 33 years, Orascom has been focusing on building integrated towns with the appropriate infrastructure to host successful cultural and sports events.
For his part, Amr Mansi, the CEO of IEVENTS, has affirmed that in continuation to the aforementioned achievements, a collaboration with O West will include holding a number of tournaments, such as the FIP Star tournament, which is witnessing the participation of 51 teams from six different countries, including 14 Egyptian teams.
“Paddle is a sport characterised by the ease and simplicity of its rules. It is a mix between tennis, squash, and racquet. Therefore, it has succeeded in a short period of time in attracting many players and fans. We expect the sport to continue gaining more popularity, and we hope that Egypt will take the lead on the regional level in organising more international tournaments,” Mansi said.
