Federtennis changes its name after 112 years: now it is FITP, there is also padel

A new era begins, that of tennis and padel together. No, it is not a new sport, but only a new federation, the Fitp (Italian Tennis and Padel Federation), which takes the place of Fit. Or does it just add a consonant to it? No, it seems that the programs are different than a simple addition, much more ambitious and modern.

IN FLORENCE

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A union that in the idea of ​​the federal leaders is a look to the future, also considering the (incredible) following that Padel has been having in recent years. The birth of Fitp was decided in Florence during the 60th National Assembly of Federtennis, which met in an extraordinary session at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Florence. The decision will now be submitted to the scrutiny of the Coni National Council: if approved, the new name will begin to be used starting from January 1, 2023. It is no coincidence that the Assembly met in this city. It was in Florence, on May 16, 1910, that the Italian Lawn Tennis Federation took its first steps, which then counted on 26 affiliates, whose name was then changed in 1933 with the abolition of the English language part. In addition, the ATP 250 tournament is underway, strongly desired by Fit and which is having great success with the public. The proposal to amend the Articles of Association with the introduction of the new name change was presented to the delegates of all the companies affiliated with Fit, which has now become 3,734, by the president Angelo Binaghi and was unanimously approved. There were 1,527 clubs, equal to 49.9% overall, which cast 2,021 votes, equal to 54.8% of the total.

NEW ERA

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“A new era begins. The proposal approved today is not a simple cosmetic change but it means clearly visualizing an epochal change already underway: in fact, the new name represents a strong signal of recognition of the overwhelming growth of the padel, the result of enthusiasm of those who play it and of the sports clubs that manage and promote it “, said Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis Federation. “Today the padel has over eight hundred thousand practitioners in Italy – 3.1 million tennis players, just to give an order of magnitude – with a potential pool that exceeds two million while the Federation has almost seventy thousand registered for this sport, including agonists and Above all, it has enormous growth potential, especially among young people: if we take into account the growth coefficient that the padel has had and which is estimated at around 20-25% per year in the next few years, it is understandable how these two disciplines in the medium term should come to be equivalent from a numerical point of view. Today it is therefore necessary to give full dignity to the padel within our organization “, added Binaghi.

CONTINUOUS GROWTH

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“On the international level, we want to reaffirm our willingness to collaborate with the International Padel Federation (Fip), the body that manages this sport worldwide and has led it to become the discipline with the highest growth trend. Finally, we I would like to underline that the change of name does not affect the continuity of the life of the Federation, which remains and will remain what it is today “, stated the Fit’s number one. On the agenda there was also the election of a new member of the Federal Council, replacing Gabriele Palpacelli, who recently passed away: the Assembly elected Giuseppe Lappano, former president of the regional committee of Calabria.