More Than The Score - Could padel become an Olympic sport?

Download Could padel become an Olympic sport?

After becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world, padel has set its sights on becoming an Olympic sport.

It's played with a racket and is often described as a mix of tennis and squash.  It has surged in popularity in recent years with more than 30 million players worldwide. It also has plenty of celebrity fans - including Serena Williams, Mohamed Salah and David Beckham.
 
Marta "Martita" Ortega is a top 10 player and former world number one who rose to the top of the sport whilst studying medicine in Madrid. She tells Lee James how the game continues to grow and why competing at an Olympic Games would be a dream come true.   President of the International Padel Federation (FIP), Luigi Carraro, explains their ambitions and what makes the sport unique.
 
More than the Score is the BBC World Service's daily podcast exploring stories from all over the world of sport. Every Monday to Friday, we're telling stories beyond the scoreline, from athletics to Formula 1, boxing to bobsleigh, and football to the NFL. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like pole vault titan Mondo Duplantis, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and tennis legend Boris Becker, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from top football scouts to physios who keep NBA stars in peak condition. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
 
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Published on Friday, 12th December 2025.

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