Doha, August 28 (QNA) - Aspire Academy's padel program received a major boost with the opening of four world-class courts inside the Aspire Dome.

In a statement today, the academy indicated that the new courts mark a significant step in the development of its padel program, launched in 2023. A third cohort of six new student-athletes will begin their journey at the academy in September with the start of the new academic year.

Aspire Academy's Head Padel Coach, Mariano Amat emphasized that the new courts are of great importance not only to the academy, but beyond. He noted that having these courts reinforces a global development project that aims to become a global reference in training young padel players.

He added that the new courts enable the consistent application of the training methodology, offer Aspire student-athletes a true high-performance environment, and create opportunities to host official and international tournaments in the future.

Several Aspire Academy student athletes have been selected to represent Qatar in the GCC Teams Championship, which will be held in Doha from Sept. 15-19.

The addition of padel courts within Aspire Academy means players and coaches no longer need to commute to external facilities previously provided by Padel In.

The use of the Padel In courts was part of a two-year agreement signed in 2023, which served as a first step toward building Aspire's own padel program and supporting the sport’s development in Qatar.

In addition to training opportunities, this collaboration resulted in the organization of Qatar's first youth padel tournament recognized by the International Padel Federation (FIP) - the FIP World Padel Championships for juniors.

This successful tournament was part of the FIP Junior World Cup and coincided with Aspire Academy's 20th anniversary celebrations.

The academy is currently working on plans to host a new padel championship on the FIP's calendar, in addition to organizing other tournaments to develop the sport in Qatar. (QNA)