HERE THEY ARE, THE EIGHT ITALIANS AT THE EUROPEAN GAMES, CARRARO: “IT WILL BE A FANTASTIC SPORTING ADVENTURE”

There are 76 days to go until the opening ceremony of the third edition of the European Games in Krakow, at which padel will be present for the first time with a program of  three competitions: men’s, women’s and mixed, with a total of 128 players and 23 nations represented. Our discipline will be one of the 29 on the agenda of the event, taking place from 21st June to 2nd July.

Padel will have the honour of opening the European Games, organised by the Olympic Committees of our continent, with tournaments scheduled from 21st to 25 June in a breathtaking ‘stadium’ with a medieval atmosphere, the Old Town Market Square in Krakow. This place is a jewel set in the urban reality of the ancient Polish city, which has been the beating heart of social and political life since its origins.

The FITP (the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation) called up the eight Italian players who will be part of the Italian squad: Chiara Pappacena and Giorgia Marchetti, Carolina Orsi and Giulia Sussarello as women players; Marco Cassetta, Simone Cremona, Giulio Graziotti and Riccardo Sinicropi for the men’s team.

All of them were part of the Italian team at the 2022 World Championships in Dubai, which ended with the bronze medal for the women, the second in a row in a world championship.

The opening game of the padel competitions will be played at the KSOS Sports Centre. Then, from the semi-finals, the ball will bounce on the court in the heart of the Market Square.

The President of the International Padel Federation Luigi Carraro told the official website of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation: “The European Games in Krakow will be an enthralling event, in a continuous rush of emotions, since the opening ceremony with the parade of the teams’ flags. We will live the atmosphere of the Athletes Village, with hundreds of athletes coming from every corner of Europe competing for a medal, exchanging experiences and creating new friendships in the name of sport. It is a huge thrill just thinking about it, cannot imagine what an emotion to be there”.

The FIP number one was particularly happy and excited at the end of a path that began in 2019, when Carraro presented the FIP’s candidature to the European Olympic Committees: “For all those who love padel, for those who practice it and for the athletes who have contributed to the growth of our sport over the years, it will be fantastic to come together in the name of a single colour, Azzurro, fighting for a medal. Italy will have two pairs in the men’s, in the women’s and also in the mixed, with a remarkable level of competitiveness: this testifies the great work done in the past by the FITP, at the competitive level, also by spreading padel in the country. And then, let me say it: to see a blue racket in front of the backdrop of the five Olympic rings is the reward for the hard and tireless work that has led us to be chosen by the European Olympic Committees – which I will never cease to thank – for this great sporting adventure”.