29 Jul 2024

Avani Hotel and Resorts, through its Avani Fit programme, has teamed up with 10 by 20 Padel Club to introduce and promote paddle tennis in the country. 

Speaking in an interview during the open day of the padel tennis at the Avani court on Saturday, one of the pioneers at the 10 by 20 Paddle Club, Tefo Modie, said Batswana had embraced the sport, which was a blend of tennis and squash, with open arms. 

“Padel is a mixture of tennis and squash. You have glass walls on each end, mesh on the sides, and the gameplay combines the best elements of both sports,” he said. 

He added that the sport was quickly gaining traction, due to efforts by local enthusiasts and collaborations with major partners such as the Avani Hotel and Resorts. 

Initially, he said they launched it as a passion project. 

However, he said the response to the sport exceeded all their expectations.

“We opened our first site at The Fields Mall, and the reaction was phenomenal. People love coming here to play and enjoy the environment,” Modie said. 

Currently, he added that Botswana boasts of two paddle courts one at The Fields Mall and another at the Avani Hotel and Resorts. 

“We opened last year, and we are about to reach our one-year anniversary,” Modie said.

He said paddle tennis, which originated from Argentina, was a fast growing sport in the world and did not want Botswana to be left behind.

Already, he said they have had tournaments, which offered trips to Cape Town and cash rewards on a monthly basis as incentives for the winners.

He said their next tournament would be on August 9-10.He said they have had a tournament in South Africa called the Bots vs SA tournament. 

They took about 30 teams from here to South Africa. “There were women’s and men’s tournament. It’s an increasing sport. It’s not just men. We have a very strong demographic of women playing this sport as well, plenty of women of all ages as well,” he said. Modie said their plans were to expand the sport beyond Gaborone.

“We are exploring opportunities to open more sites across Botswana. The interest is there, and we believe in padel’s potential to thrive nationwide,” Modie said.

Also, he said they were planning a benchmarking mission to South Africa where the sport was flourishing.

He further said the club aimed to create a family-friendly atmosphere, as the sport’s inclusivity was evident with participants ranging from young age to adults in their late 50s and 60s.

One of the unique aspects of 10 by 20 Padel Club, he said was their seamless booking process for those who wanted to join the club.

“We have developed an app for easy online booking and payment. For first-timers, we provide rackets and balls for free. Our goal is to make padel accessible and enjoyable for everyone,” Modie highlighted. 

He said padel was set to become a staple in the Botswana’s sports landscape with its health benefits and engaging nature, more so that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as sugar diabetes, high blood pressure and others were a concern in Botswana. 

“We have a lot of people who are actually taking it purely for the health benefit. I really, really appreciate that and I really encourage everyone, even if you get it once a week, you will feel good at first,” he said. 

Modie encouraged everyone to give it a try. 

“Even if you play once a week, you’ll feel the difference. It’s a fun, active sport that everyone can enjoy,” he said. 

Avani Hotel and Resorts Public Relations and Marketing Executive, Samantha Bogopa, said the Avani Fit was part of the fitness programme, which they had under the Avani umbrella through their gym. She said they promoted fitness through the membership programme.

 “So today was a fitness activation with a benefit where we are also opening one of the babies that is born under a benefit called the padel court through a partnership with the 10 by 20 club. 

We’ve got a new padel court, which we also open up for the public to come and enjoy fitness,” he said. She also said they were offering variety of activities and they were not only limited to the gym. She explained that earlier in the day they went hiking.

“We do hiking and walking and a lot of activities for our clients to train and stay healthy,” she said. Ends