World Abilitysport and Inclusive Padel Tour have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting the sport of padel amongst athletes with physical impairments.

The Memorandum was signed by World Abilitysport President, Rudi Van den Abbeele and Alessandro Ossola, founder of Inclusive Padel Tour on Tuesday 1st April.

Padel is widely recognised as the fastest growing sport in the world and with an estimated 30 million players, the Para side of the sport is set for substantial growth.

Inclusive Padel Tour, founded in 2022, hosts the first international padel competition circuit for athletes in both standing and wheelchair classes. The circuit is set to host 10 events in 2025 in host cities including Miami, Nice, Dubai and London.

Italian Para-sprinter Alessandro Ossola, the founder of Inclusive Padel Tour, began playing padel in 2021 and realised with a few small adaptations the sport could become inclusive to players with physical impairments.

Alessandro Ossola said of the collaboration, “I am very proud to share this path with World Abilitysport to promote padel to more athletes with impairments. I am anticipating an amazing journey to come.”

Padel originated in Mexico in the late 1960s, when Enrique Corcuera developed the initial concept by blending elements of tennis and squash. The sport quickly gained popularity and as of 2025 is believed to be played in 140 countries worldwide.

World Abilitysport President, Rudi Van den Abbeele said, “We are thrilled to announce this collaboration between Inclusive Padel Tour and World Abilitysport. This partnership represents a significant step forward in attracting more athletes with physical impairments into Para sport and given the global popularity of padel, it is an important milestone for both organisations. We look forward to the future opportunities this collaboration will bring to our members and their athletes.”

The Memorandum of Understanding outlines the shared commitment from World Abilitysport and Inclusive Padel Tour to work collaboratively to promote and grow the sport with a focus on expanding the competition opportunities through the World Abilitysport Games programme.