IPMA lands in the Urals to witness Russian Copper Company’s ambitious commitment to professional padel
Yekaterinburg, Russia Javier Díaz La Pala Mexico– In February 2026, the International Padel Media Association (IPMA) expanded its reach to learn first-hand about the development of padel in Russian territory. In the heart of the Ural Mountains, right on the natural border between Europe and Asia, a new capital of padel is emerging: Yekaterinburg.
Russia’s fourth-largest city aims not only to join the international padel map but to become the undisputed reference in the region through a sports revolution built on strong foundations.
Behind this movement is Igor Altushkin, Founder of Russian Copper Company (RCC). The copper industry giant has decided to invest in padel, democratizing access to the sport for the city’s residents while raising infrastructure standards to a global level.
A circuit with its own identity
This vision gave birth to the RCC Padel League, a professional circuit that has already attracted players from Spain, Argentina and Italy, as well as regional champions from China, Japan and Kazakhstan.
The 2026 calendar includes five regular tournaments and a Masters Final, all hosted at the RCC Padel Arena. This venue stands out not only for its modern design but also for being possibly the only arena of such scale in the world built exclusively for padel.
During the official press conference, Adrián “Tito” Allemandi, a legend of the sport and current Sporting Director of RCC Padel, attended alongside players such as Javier González Barahona, Álvaro Cepero and Denis Perino. All of them highlighted one key point: the excellent treatment and professional standards.
Although the organization clarifies that its goal is not to compete with Premier Padel, the focus remains on professionalism and highly competitive prize money that makes players feel part of an elite environment.
On-court action
In sporting terms, the first event crowned Tito Allemandi and Aimar Goñi, who won 6-2 before the retirement of Denis Perino and Ignacio Piotto, earning the first important ranking points in the RCC standings.
Beyond the tournament
For the team of La Pala, this coverage represented their first international experience outside Mexico. Thanks to the invitation extended to the IPMA, the event brought together media members such as Adri from La Casa del Pádel and Elena from Wise Padel, along with international content creators including Energy Padel, Padel Review and Marca.
The hospitality of the RCC team was remarkable, even allowing media members to play an amateur tournament on the same courts where professionals had competed just a day earlier.
The experience demonstrated that in Russia they are not only building courts; they are creating high-performance ecosystems with gyms and mental preparation centers under the methodology of the RCC Padel Academy led by Tito Allemandi.
The fact that world-class players are willing to travel to Yekaterinburg is the greatest proof of the success of this project.
Throughout 2026, we will witness how the largest country in the world continues embracing padel. IPMA and La Pala were there to confirm that the future of padel is also being written in Cyrillic.
Some videos IPMA on RCC Padel
La Pala Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqMUqndlFac&t=696s
La casa del Padel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZDK8KZybKM&t=24s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm6zTcrjIt0