Last checked: 19 October 2026. Padelism is not affiliated with Premier Padel or the FIP.
No. Padel is not an Olympic sport. It isn't on the programme for Los Angeles 2028, and the sports for Brisbane 2032 haven't been picked yet.
But "no" hides a lot. Padel has started handing out medals at big multi-sport Games run by Olympic bodies, in Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean. Its world federation, the FIP, says openly that the Olympics are the goal.
I'm a padel player who makes clothes, not an official. So below is what has actually happened, with dates and a link for every line. Check the sources yourself. If something changes, this is the page we'll update.
The status tracker
| Date | What happened | Where padel stands | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2022 | FIP not among the federations invited to pitch for LA 2028 | Out of the LA 2028 race | Valencia Plaza |
| Jun 2023 | European Games debut in Kraków. Medals in men's, women's and mixed. 23 countries, about 20,000 spectators | First medals at a major Olympic multi-sport event | FIP, Wikipedia |
| Oct 2023 | IOC adds five sports for LA 2028, squash among them | Padel not included | Al Jazeera |
| Oct 2024 | FIP launches an Olympic project at its General Assembly in Doha. Brisbane 2032 reported as the first target | Campaign formally starts | The Padel Paper |
| Mar 2025 | FIP president Luigi Carraro meets Kit McConnell, IOC Sports Director and Brisbane 2032 Chief Sport Officer | Lobbying | FIP |
| Nov 2025 | Olympic Council of Asia recognises the FIP and adds padel to the Asian Games | Continental recognition, not IOC | FIP |
| Mar 2026 | European Olympic Committees confirm padel as a medal sport for Istanbul 2027 | Back at the European Games | FIP |
| May 2026 | IOC says Brisbane 2032 will have fewer sports than LA's 36 | Harder to get in | AP via NBC Sports |
| Jun 2026 | IOC Session changes how the programme is set: judged by discipline, not whole sport | New rules for every hopeful | Sentinel Assam |
| Aug 2026 | Mediterranean Games debut in Taranto. Spain win men's and women's gold | Medal sport | FIP |
| Sep 2026 | South American Games, Santa Fe, Argentina (12 to 26 Sept) | Medal sport | FIP |
| Sep to Oct 2026 | Asian Games debut, Aichi-Nagoya (19 Sept to 4 Oct). Japan win women's gold, Qatar win men's | Medal sport | FIP |
| Dec 2026 | Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Riyadh (13 to 21 Dec) | Coming up | FIP |
| Dec 2026 | Brisbane 2032 sports list could be confirmed | The big one to watch | AP via NBC Sports |
| Jun 2027 | European Games, Istanbul (16 to 27 June) | Coming up | FIP |
What the FIP says
The FIP's own words are hopeful, and careful. When padel was confirmed for Istanbul 2027, Carraro said the sport "continues to find its place within the Olympic movement" (FIP, 17 March 2026).
On the Asian Games news, the FIP said the move "further strengthens the sport's positioning within the Olympic movement" (FIP, 21 November 2025).
Notice the phrase. "Olympic movement" covers the IOC, the continental Olympic committees and their Games. It isn't the same as a place at the Olympics. In June 2026, at the European Olympic Committees' assembly in Budapest, the FIP said padel's growth will come through a more structured presence at major multi-sport events (FIP, 13 June 2026). In other words, the near-term plan the FIP describes is more medals at multi-sport Games. A place at the Olympics itself is still a decision for the IOC.
What the IOC says
None of the IOC statements linked on this page mention padel. What the IOC has talked about is the size of the Games.
In May 2026, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said Brisbane 2032 will have fewer sports than the 36 at LA 2028. She said "the goal is not to destroy any sport", but the cost of extra venues is the key worry (AP via NBC Sports, 27 May 2026). Squash, flag football and lacrosse, all new for LA, have to fight for their own places in Brisbane.
Then in June 2026 the IOC changed the Olympic Charter. The programme is now judged at discipline level, to reflect venue needs and cost. The list of federations was also taken out of the Charter (Sentinel Assam, 26 June 2026).
For padel, that cuts both ways. A smaller Games is a tougher door. But Coventry's worry is single-purpose venues, and padel can be played on a temporary court. In Kraków the finals were played in the city's Market Square (FIP).
Is the FIP recognised by the IOC?
You'll read online that padel already has IOC recognition. The public record doesn't back that up yet. The members list of ARISF, the group of IOC-recognised federations outside the Games, has no padel federation on it (ARISF, checked 19 October 2026). The "FIP" you'll see there is the Federation of International Polo. Easy mix-up.
None of the FIP announcements linked on this page say the IOC recognises the International Padel Federation. Recognition from the Olympic Council of Asia (2025) is real, but it's continental.
What Olympic status could mean for the LTA
In Britain, padel's governing body is the LTA. Sport England, sportscotland and Sport Wales recognised padel as a discipline of tennis in 2020, though the LTA said at the time that recognition "does not guarantee funding" (LTA, 13 November 2020).
Alongside private investment, the LTA and the LTA Tennis Foundation have put £6 million into more than 40 padel facility projects, funding 82 new courts (LTA Padel strategy).
Elite funding is a different pot. UK Sport, which backs British athletes with National Lottery and government money, says its investment "is focused on Olympic and Paralympic sports" (UK Sport eligibility policy). It works in four-year awards tied to each Games cycle (UK Sport).
Put simply: Olympic status could open the door for British padel to make a case for that kind of support. It wouldn't make it automatic. And for club players, the court boom is already happening without it. Our UK padel statistics page has the numbers.
How to follow it
The next padel medals at a multi-sport Games are in Riyadh in December, then Istanbul in June 2027. Our UK padel events calendar covers the dates closer to home, and the how to watch Premier Padel guide covers the pro tour on TV. If you want to know how a holiday game in Acapulco got this far, read the history of padel.
And if you're watching close line calls on a stream, the Focus tee has the WAS IT IN WAS IT OUT eye chart on it. It's one of our heavyweight tees: 100% cotton, 305 g/m2, oversized, £48, and any two £48 heavyweight tees are £90 at checkout.
FAQ
Has padel ever been played at the Olympics?
No. Padel has never been on the programme of a Summer Olympic Games, not even as a demonstration sport. You may see Barcelona 1992 mentioned, but the demonstration sports there were Basque pelota, roller hockey and taekwondo (Wikipedia: demonstration sports). The closest it has come is medal events at Games run by Olympic bodies: the European Games (2023), the Mediterranean and Asian Games (2026), with Istanbul 2027 next.
Could padel be in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics?
The Padel Paper reports it as padel's first target, but nothing is decided. The IOC has said Brisbane will have fewer sports than LA 2028, and AP reported the list could be confirmed in December 2026. Some in the sport see 2036 as more realistic (The Padel Paper).
Why is squash in the Olympics but not padel?
Squash was proposed by the LA 2028 organisers and approved by the IOC in October 2023. Host cities can suggest extra sports, and padel wasn't among the five chosen for LA. Squash still has to win a place again for Brisbane.
Does Great Britain compete in padel at the European Games?
The European Games are open to European nations, and 23 countries played in Kraków in 2023. The FIP's March 2026 announcement confirms padel for Istanbul 2027 but doesn't set out how teams qualify, so watch the FIP's site for that.
