Garraway’s podcast uncovers DXB padel scene
Kate Garraway’s DXB Unheard
TV presenter Kate Garraway has Dubai’s padel scene in her sights for the latest episode of her new DXB Unheard podcast series, which shines a light on life in the Middle Eastern city state.
Episode 6 – entitled One Active City – goes live on Monday (March 17), with Kate exploring how sport, wellbeing and fitness run through the veins – and streets – of modern Dubai.
Donning her trainers, she heads out to experience some of the activities the city has to offer, interviewing Marcus Smith, a fitness entrepreneur, extreme athlete and ambassador for The Dubai Fitness Challenge who came back from an accident to run 30 marathons in 30 days; Eisa Sharif, Emirati ex padel professional and a leading voice at the UAE Padel Association; Shadi Enbashi, co-founder of SEVA Experience and Candy Fanucci, founder of Pirate Surf Rescue, a water sports programme for children aimed at building their confidence.
Kate said: “Fitness is at the heart of this city and the infrastructure is there to help their population live a healthier life: hundreds of kilometres of cycle tracks, miles and miles of dedicated cushioned running tracks, beaches filled with activities like volleyball, padel and water sports, and a yearly programme of activities that sees millions of residents exercising daily in the Dubai Fitness Challenge.”
On playing padel with Eisa Sharif, plus her children Darcy and Billy, she said: “I had the number one player in the world’s racket and still was useless! I had so much fun that I can totally see why it gets addictive. Padel is spreading all around the world but it feels like its home is being made here [in Dubai].”
The podcast delves into Eisa’s beginnings with padel, the sport’s meteoric rise in Dubai and how the city prepared for the 2022 Padel World Championships in under a month-and-a-half. “We did it in 40 days!” said Eisa. “We built eight courts. We used the existing Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. We transformed the whole place into a padel venue.”
“I’m very proud of where we are today, with the number of courts and players and the excitement of the community,” he added. “It’s supported by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He’s a player, he’s the leader behind it.”
If you enjoy episode 6 of DXB Unheard then make a note to listen to episode 7 – ‘Sporting Showstopppers’ – with Kate speaking to sporting legends and masterminds behind some of Dubai’s biggest sporting events. 🎾
➡️ Watch DXB Unheard on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other major audio platforms.
