A new sport on Asia's biggest stage
Indonesia's road to Nagoya began in November 2025, when the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) recognised the International Padel Federation (FIP) and Padel Asia and added padel to the sports programme of the XX Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The decision was announced in Kuwait on the sidelines of the inaugural FIP World Cup Pairs and was widely seen as a step towards padel's long-term Olympic ambitions.
On 6 March 2026, the sport's place was made official when the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC), the OCA and the FIP signed a Memorandum of Understanding confirming padel as a medal sport, with men's and women's pairs events on the programme.
PBPI makes Nagoya the priority
The Perkumpulan Besar Padel Indonesia (PBPI) set its course early. At its first-ever National Working Meeting (Rakernas) on 4 December 2025, PBPI Chairman Galih Dimuntur Kartasasmita made clear that the Asian Games in Nagoya would be the federation's main focus for 2026, with particular attention on strengthening the women's national team after its historic run to the semi-finals and a bronze medal at the FIP Asia Padel Cup 2025.
Throughout the first half of 2026, Indonesia's leading players built match experience on the CUPRA FIP Tour across Asia. The home swing proved especially valuable: in May, Novela Putria won the FIP Bronze Yogyakarta title, one of the standout Indonesian results of the season.
Eight athletes named, destination Spain
On 9 July 2026, at the official opening of the FIP Bronze and FIP Promises Jakarta tournament at RANA Grounds, South Jakarta, Galih announced the eight athletes selected for the Asian Games programme: two primary pairs and two reserve pairs.
Women's pairs: Novela Putria and Beatrice Gumulya as the primary pair, with Fitriani Sabatini and Fadona Kusumawati as reserves.
Men's pairs: Armando Soemarno and Valentinus Dyas as the primary pair, with Alvin Edison and Giorgio Soemarno as reserves.
The squad was scheduled to fly to Spain around 25 July for an intensive training camp running until 15 September, leaving only a short window before the Games. Galih acknowledged the timing was tight but said the federation wanted to make the most of every week in Spain, expressing hope that the players would return noticeably improved.
A test against Kazakhstan
Before departing, the national team took advantage of a visiting opponent. On 13 July 2026, with Kazakhstan's players in Indonesia to compete in the FIP Bronze circuit, PBPI staged a test match between the two nations at RANA Grounds.
PBPI First Vice Chairman Mochtar Sarman said the federation used the session to gauge what the Asian Games level might look like. He identified Qatar and Kuwait as the strongest expected rivals, while expressing confidence that Indonesia could compete with anyone from Southeast Asia.
A packed calendar
Galih stressed that PBPI's planning stretched beyond Nagoya. Immediately after the Games, Indonesia was set to contest the Padel World Cup Qualifiers, with the finals scheduled for early November, and the federation hoped the camp in Spain would serve both campaigns.
With the training camp complete, the squad headed to Japan, where the padel competition was scheduled from 28 September to 3 October 2026 at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center.
This is the first part of PBPI's three-part series on Indonesia's Asian Games padel campaign.
