ASUNCION, PARAGUAY, IS THE VENUE FOR THE 2023 JUNIOR WORLD CUP

The tournament will be staged from 13 to 18 November. President Carraro: ‘Promoting generational change at the top but also expanding the ‘base’ in the world, the dual mission of this World Cup’

One of the oldest cities in South America and capital of Paraguay, Asuncion, will be the official home of the XIV ‘FIP Juniors Padel World Championship’, the youth padel World Cup that will be staged from 13 to 18 November 2023.  Therefore, the commitment of the International Padel Federation, in perfect harmony with the federations of affiliated countries, continues in the realisation of competitions and appointments that are not only top references for the best youth talents on the world stage, but also and above all events that know how to promote padel at all levels towards youngsters from all over the world, creating the generations of the future of our sport.

Teaching the correct sporting sentiment under the banner of fair play, promoting cultural, technical and social exchange between representatives of the different national teams, as well as training the great champions of the future, are some of the focal points of the FIP’s commitment in this extraordinary event now in its 14th edition. The choice of Asuncion, founded in 1537 and known as ‘the Mother of Cities’ – from Asuncion departed the expeditions that led to the founding of important urban centres such as Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santa Fe, Corrientes and Villarrica – is the result of the work of the FIP and the American Padel Federation, in close collaboration with the entire fabric of national federations and, on this occasion, with the Federation of Paraguay, which took the field for this challenge with great enthusiasm.

A choice with a profound meaning that highlights the ancient origins of Asuncion with the leap into the future of padel through the commitment of the boys who will compete for the various world titles. And it is precisely Paraguay, reigning champions after the Torreon triumph in Mexico in 2021, that will defend the masculine title in a World Cup that includes competitions for teams – 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams – and for pairs in the Under 14, 16, 18 categories, in both the men’s and women’s categories.

Luigi Carraro, FIP president, said: ‘Every time the great competitions such as the Junior World Championship return to the American continent, one cannot help but feel the emotion of how it all began in this fantastic land, over fifty years ago. For the FIP family, therefore, it is not only the organisation of a great competition but also a return to the origins, to that first racket that was ‘born’ in Mexico and then gradually spread throughout the world. Our mission is to be custodians of this legacy, promoting generational change, training new great champions and bringing as many young people as possible closer to our extraordinary sport‘.

Diego Miller, President of the Comité Americano: ‘We are particularly proud of the organisation of this World Cup and the enthusiasm with which it has been received by the movement of our sport. This means that the effervescence at the youth level of padel in the world is right and full of perspective in the creation of the champions of the future but also in the involvement of the ‘base’ in the many countries that work every day to ensure that our sport continues to grow and spread to every corner of the planet. It will be a beautiful World Cup, played in a spectacular venue as the SND Arena is, a spectacle of boys and girls and an event that will be experienced with great passion, in the region and around the world‘.

Particularly proud is the President of the Paraguayan Federation Jorge Ramirez “First of all, to have the honour of hosting an event like this is very rewarding for us, both as a Federation and as a country, to be able to be showcased in front of the whole world and to have the opportunity to show what Paraguay is capable of is really encouraging and, likewise, to have the opportunity to defend the title of world champion at home I think is an extraordinary privilege. The boys will be encouraged by their families, friends and an entire nation who will be in the stands for a great celebration of sport and the desire to prove that the men’s world title won in 2021 in Mexico was not a coincidence”.