Yesterday, Continental announced sponsoring padel tournaments in Spain, becoming the main sponsor of Premier Padel Andalucía Sevilla P2, Premier Padel Andalucía Málaga P1 and Comunidad de Madrid Premier Padel P1.
Continental Sponsoring Padel
Continental and Premier Padel concluded a three-year contract at the WiZink Center, with representatives of both companies attending, including the Continental ambassadors Federico Chingotto and Manu Martín. This partnership reinforces Continental’s commitment to sport and diversification, which now extends to various disciplines globally, such as cycling and football.
Pedro Teixeira, General Director of Continental Tyres, said “Continental has always been synonymous with innovation, safety, and quality, a philosophy that we also want to apply to padel, reinforcing our tradition of commitment to the sport.”
Javier Caballero, Marketing Director at Continental, spoke about the reasons behind Continental sponsoring padel in Spain. “I think this sport fits with Continental’s philosophy because of its characteristics, which is what we are looking for, a social, growing sport that has many young fans. The first of tests we saw in Seville was a complete success and had many visitors. I want to thank Octagon for the possibilities and flexibility it offers us to energise the brand,” he explained.
David Serrahima, General Director of Octagon Spain (tournament promoter in Seville, Malaga, Madrid and Barcelona) said “For us, it is important that brands with Continental’s name join the project of evolving the best padel in the world in the main Spanish cities. Alliances like this are a growth opportunity for both brands.”
New Ambassadors
The two new Continental ambassadors were also presented at the event: Federico Chingotto, current world no. six and his partner Ale Galán, with whom he has already won three tournaments in 2024, and Manu Martín, content creator, and one of the main Spanish-speaking paddle tennis influencers with his YouTube channel “Improve your paddle.”
“It is a pride that a brand like Continental notices you and supports you, I am enjoying it a lot. I am also happy that they support paddle tennis, which is the sport I love. It is a pleasure to be part of the family and I hope we will be together for a long time. Sponsors are key, both for the image of the players and for growing as an athlete, therefore, their support is essential and I trust to grow with Continental hand in hand,” highlighted Federico Chingotto.
“The growth has been gradual enough so that it does not affect me, but now you go, for example, to Chile and people know you, although you remain the same. But that affection that people show you also makes you take your work as a disseminator as a commitment. In this growth, not only for me but also for the sport, social networks have been key, because they allow you to reach many more people,” said Manu Martín.
The Future and the Continental Padel Series
A round table also took place at the event where various experts discussed the future of the sport and the growth opportunities for brands who decided to be a part of it. The experts noted that “there is a great room for growth for paddle tennis as it is reaching the countries where it has not been present before, but there is still a long way to go before it becomes a global sport. There are markets like China and the US where there is still a lot of room for growth. Reaching these markets could make more international brands join in, helping the sport to continue its growth.”
Continental also presented the Continental Padel Series, the first amateur tournament dedicated to the world of automotive after-sales. As pointed out by Caballero, the tournament focuses on Continental customers, it will have three levels, with 20 participants per category. The tournament will take place in seven cities in Spain (Bilbao, Málaga, Madrid, A Coruña, Seville, Barcelona and Valencia) with the grand final taking place in December in Barcelona. The winners will have the opportunity to meet Federico Chingotto and will also receive a gift for their participation.
