The Inclusive Padel Tour (IPT) hits the UK for the first time this weekend at Padel Maidenhead and it’s hoped it will inspire many more people with disabilities to take up the sport.
The IPT is a global circuit of amateur padel tournaments in which each participating pair consists of one able-bodied and one disabled player, with the disabled player allowed two bounces (unless their disability is in the upper body or a transtibial (below the knee) prosthesis).
On Saturday (20 September), Padel Maidenhead in Berkshire is expected to welcome 31 pairs (12 British, 10 from Italy, eight from Spain and one from Dubai) which will make it the biggest competition on the IPT so far.
Preceding the competition will be a community day where children with disabilities and special educational needs will get the opportunity to try out padel and meet the IPT players.
Organisers Kristen Paskins and Andrew Simister (pictured above) are veterans of the IPT having competed at events in Venice, Milan, Dubai, Barcelona, Logano and Miami.
For Andrew, who lost his right leg in a road accident in 2022, the impact that padel and the ICT community have had on his life are immense.
The Yorkshireman told The Padel Paper: “Being a new amputee and seeing that I wouldn’t be able to do the things I could before my amputation was very difficult, but I’m so lucky to have got involved with an organisation that has opened many doors and started many friendships.
“On the IPT we can relate to each other, we’ve all suffered various traumas and there’s absolutely no barriers to playing. It’s about the camaraderie and community. It’s had such a positive impact on my mental health by competing and socialising with a lot of people who look like me.”
Co-organiser Kristen (pictured above), who plays and trains at Padel Maidenhead, is well known on the circuit. Her distinctive pink hair is a regular sight on the IPT. She has competed in Venice, Milan, Dubai, Miami and Logano this year alone. She is a passionate ambassador for inclusive padel since abruptly becoming a wheelchair user three years ago due to functional neurological disorder (read her story here).
Manchester-based Louis Telford will also be competing on Saturday in Maidenhead. He also plays wheelchair basketball for the Great Britain team.
A legend of the IPT is its Italian founder Alessandro Ossola, who lost his left leg in a 2015 motorbike accident in which his wife was killed. After that tragedy, he went on to compete in the Paralympics at Tokyo 2020 and later saw the potential padel had for people with disabilities. He will be one of the stars of the show in Maidenhead.
All competitors in this weekend’s IPT competition will wear t-shirts supplied by sponsors Dorset Orthopaedic (ottobock.care)
Spectators are encouraged to come down on Saturday (20 September) to watch the competition, which begins at 12pm.
Read more: Kristen Paskins: “I felt isolated and scared, but padel has rebuilt my confidence”
Read more: Amputee Andrew joins ‘new family’ on Inclusive Padel Tour
