The Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has announced the organization of the ‘Open Padel Cup for Government Institutions’ tournament, which is being held in cooperation with the Just Padel Club, at their courts in Port Rashid area, from December 13-15.

The sport of Padel has witnessed a growing popularity in recent times and the organisers led by the DSC are hoping to tap in local Emirati talent employed in various government departments in the country.

Details of the tournament were announced at a press conference by Fawzia Faridoun, Director of the Community Sports Department at the Dubai Sports Council, Anwar Idrissi, Director of the Just Padel Club, Ann Jiao, CEO of sponsors Royal Griffin and Henry Chan from sponsors, Cook One Company.

Also attending the announcement at the Dubai Sports Council headquarters was former French footballer Ibrahim Bah along with Argentinean padel player Adrian Eduardo Fernandez.

“We are delighted to partner with the leading Just Padel Club to organise this tournament. This tournament is a new and distinctive addition to the list of annual sporting events held in Dubai throughout the year. The Dubai Sports Council is pleased to support the tournament as it contributes to enhancing the diversity of sporting events that the Council is keen to achieve while providing opportunities to sports fans of all nationalities who are living in Dubai. This tournament also represents an ideal model of cooperation between the public and private sectors,” Fawzia said.

“Padel has established its rightful position in Dubai with its wide and rapid spread. By far, it is among the fastest-developing sport in the UAE as it has gained huge popularity, as seen by the growing number of courts dedicated to padel in Dubai itself. Padel is on the rise among players of different ages and gender. Dubai has hosted many major tournaments in recent years, including, but not limited to, the World Team Championship and Masters Championships, the most recent of which was the Premier Dubai Padel 1 Championship that witnessed the participation of an elite group of the best male and female players in the world,” she added.

Anwar Idrissi, Director of Just Padel announced the opening of the registration process that actually kicked-off participation in the Open Padel Cup Championship for all government institutions across the UAE. Registration will continue till the tournament entry list reaches a maximum of 32 teams. 

Each institution/team will be allowed to field eight (8) male Emirati players, six of whom will be allowed on the field and the remaining two as reserves. Professional players registered in clubs or with the UAE Padel Association will not be allowed to participate, thus ensuring that at least 300 Emirati amateurs will get the benefit of being part of the competition.

The competitions will be held in a single-round, knockout league system, and the first-place winner will walk away with a cash award of AED 30,000, while the runners-up will receive AED 20,000.

Speaking on behalf of sponsors Cook One Company, Henry Chan, said: “We are pleased to be partners in organizing this pioneering tournament that will contribute in discovering Emirati talent. We, at Cook One Company, have chosen to open an office in Dubai because of the renaissance it is witnessing in all sports, tourism and economic fields. We have a desire to dedicate part of our work to the benefit of the community. We have previously participated in the Climate Summit and many such community events. We are happy to be sponsors of this tournament as we realise how important Sports is for the overall development of society.”

“Padel is not a new sport. In fact, it is among the fastest-growing sports in the UAE and the region. We are here to fuel this growth as we believe Padel has all the ingredients of being an Olympic sport in the future. With the unification of sports and technology, they can have a bright future,” Chan added.

Ann Jiao related: “I thank everyone for their interest in the event. We are also grateful to the interest shown by Dubai Sports Council, without whom this event would not have been possible. I thank the sponsors, and we are pleased to cooperate with the tournament sponsor and Just Padel to lay out this inaugural edition of this tournament.”