Bhupathi says Asian Games inclusion could accelerate padel growth in Asia

Mahesh Bhupathi sees padel’s Asian Games breakthrough as more than a ceremonial badge. With the International Padel Federation putting Asia at 2.2 million players and saying the region grew about 20% in courts and players in 2025, Bhupathi is arguing that a place on the sport’s biggest multi-sport stage could speed up federation backing, youth pathways and sponsor interest.

The scale of the sport helps explain the urgency. The International Padel Federation says padel now has more than 70,000 courts worldwide and more than 35 million players globally, figures that place Asia inside a sport already moving well beyond its European base. That backdrop has made the Olympic Council of Asia’s recognition of padel a milestone, not just a line on a calendar.

That recognition is also being linked to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games program, giving padel a platform that can change how national Olympic committees, ministries and private backers look at the game. Japan, as host of Aichi-Nagoya, is among the countries best placed to benefit first, while markets with active national bodies already in place, including Indonesia, have a clearer route to turn the status boost into more courts, more coaches and more junior competitions.

The test is whether that visibility turns into domestic infrastructure. Asian Games inclusion can open doors for federation support and sponsor money, but the money has to land in the places that actually grow participation: school programs, club leagues, coaching certification and court construction. Without that, the sport risks getting a short burst of attention and little else.

The region’s calendar suggests the build-out is already underway. The FIP Asia Padel Cup 2025 was scheduled for Doha from October 17 to 24, 2025, underlining that Asia now has the beginnings of a regular competition structure rather than isolated showcase events. For countries with functioning federations and access to venues, that combination of sanctioned events and Asian Games visibility could be the quickest route to scale. For everyone else, the recognition will matter only if it is followed by investment on the ground.