Russian padel federation discusses school classes with education ministry

Russia’s padel federation has prepared documents proposing to add the sport to the school curriculum and is discussing the initiative with the Ministry of Education, director general Alexey Sorokin said.

In an interview with RBC television, Sorokin described the talks as approaching their final stage. He said the federation wanted to introduce padel in schools as a fourth lesson.

Sorokin also outlined his assessment of the sport’s infrastructure: Russia has more than 350 clubs and is approaching fifteen hundred courts. He said the fastest growth was occurring in cities with fewer than a million residents.

He estimated the average hourly court rental price nationwide at 3,000–3,500 rubles, a cost that four players can share. Court occupancy in major cities ranges from 50–70%, he said, stressing that it varies by club.

Sorokin said the market was still far from saturation. Alongside expanding participation, the federation aims to develop Russian players capable of competing for leading positions at international tournaments.