News
CANADIAN PADDLE TEAM OFF TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SPAIN
Calgary, ALBERTA – October 20, 2006. A dynamic and passionate team of Canadian athletes is on its way to Murcia, Spain today to represent Canada in the 2006 World Championships of Paddle. The delegation—made up of 7 men, 7 women, and several support staff and coaches—is excited to be representing their country in one of the most popular up and coming sports in the world.
Paddle, a fast paced racquet game with roots in both tennis and squash, originated in Mexico, and quickly gained popularity in Central and South America. Paddle was introduced to Canada by Bill Stamile, who was exposed to the sport in 1992 during a visit to his home country of Argentina. The Paddle Association of Canada was created shortly thereafter, and the sport continues to grow across the city and country. Currently,
The 2006 World Championships will take place in Murcia, Spain, from October 20-30th. The mission of the Canadian delegation is twofold: Not only will the athletes be representing Canada through 10 days of tournament play, they will also be acting as ambassadors to promote Calgary’s successful bid to host the World Championships of Paddle in August 2008. Competing directly with Sao Paolo, Brazil, Calgary was awarded the World Championships by the Federacion Internacional de Padel, and will host the event in late August 2008.
2008 Championship Communications Chair Bill Stamile expresses the groups’ excitement: “We are thrilled not only at the opportunity to represent Canada in a sport so popular outside of North America, but also to spread the word about our plans to take the World Championships to the next level in 2008. Our athletes are dedicated to bringing this amazing sport out of obscurity and into the limelight in Canada, and the World Championship committee is ready to bring the world to Calgary!”
Based in Calgary, the Paddle Association of Canada has been drawing its players mainly from the ranks of the tennis and squash enthusiasts. With the help of the 2006 World Championship team and the support of Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta, Calgary’s World Championships Committee is ready to represent all that Calgary has to offer the world in 2008.