ExpoDeca 2024 will also be a grand celebration of padel. This sport will be one of the highlights of the First Congress and Fair of Physical Activity and Sports of the Canary Islands, which will take place from November 14 to 17 at Infecar.
The first major sports fair in the Canary Islands -promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands through the Department of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity, and Sports, and organized by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and Infecar Feria de Gran Canaria- will bring together public and private entities, academic institutions and schools, federations and clubs, as well as brands and companies to foster a significant gathering for the development of the sector. It will also become a true celebration of sports practice and healthy habits, with free entry for the public and the promotion of various sports, open to audience participation, and featuring high-level exhibitions and tournaments.
At ExpoDeca 2024, sports such as soccer, handball, volleyball, pickleball, climbing, archery, gymnastics, fencing, and weightlifting will be featured, along with a large fitness area dedicated to Sports and Health. Within the program, padel will have a prominent place, with the celebration of the Challenger Kia at Club El Drago, the IV Canary Islands Cup for youth teams, and exhibitions and open sessions for practicing this sport, which enjoys great popularity in the Canary Islands.
The Challenger Kia at Club El Drago is an event sponsored by the Canary Islands Padel Federation, which has been involved in designing the program dedicated to this sport at the fair.
This tournament will be part of the agenda on Thursday, November 14, and Friday, November 15, with a total of four matches (at 4:00 p.m. for the women's category and 5:30 p.m. for the men's category). Additionally, a men's match is scheduled for Saturday, November 16, at 7:00 p.m.
Finally, on Sunday, November 17, the finals for the women's and men's first categories will take place (at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively), followed by an awards ceremony at 1:00 p.m.
The knockout rounds of the IV Canary Islands Government Cup for youth teams will also have their place in the padel program organized for ExpoDeca 2024. Much of Saturday, November 16, will be dedicated to this competition, with matches scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
But competitions won't be the only expression of padel at ExpoDeca 2024. The Canary Islands Padel Federation has scheduled training sessions for semi-professional players on November 14 and 15 (Thursday and Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), with the involvement of Manuel Navarro and La Calzada Padel School.
Padel enthusiasts will thus be able to enjoy the skills of high-level players. Or they can directly participate in the sport, a possibility offered during the four days of the fair. On Thursday, November 14, and Friday, November 15, open sessions have been organized from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with prior registration for four players in 45-minute slots. The afternoon sessions will also feature certified instructors.
On Saturday, November 16, the open sessions are scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in the same format and with the presence of a certified instructor. Finally, on Sunday, November 17, the open session schedule for four players will be extended to one-hour slots, with extended hours from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Impact of Padel in the Canary Islands
Padel is a sport that originated in Mexico in the 1960s and reached Spain a decade later. It became truly popular, as well as established as a professional sport, in the 1980s, and its growth as a popular sport for the public has continued to rise since then. This is also true in the Canary Islands, particularly in the 21st century. The fact that it is played in pairs, the proliferation of courts and clubs, and the ease with which basic skills can be acquired make it a sport with a significant social impact.
The Canary Islands Padel Federation was created in 2015, and from that point on, padel's expansion in the islands has been consolidated, with an exponential growth of enthusiasts and players. The Canary Islands have surpassed 4.000 federative licenses, and it is estimated that around 10,000 people play recreationally in the archipelago.
A clear demonstration of padel's emerging presence in the Canary Islands took place in 2023 with the organization- by the island's federation -of the III Spanish Cup of Autonomous Leagues, held at the Spin Padel Club in Melenara (Telde, Gran Canaria). A total of 109 teams and 2,000 registered players took part in what was the sporting event with the highest number of athletes on the Spanish sports calendar for the entire year.
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