OLYMPIC PROGRAMME COMMISSION, LAUSANNE,
14TH NOVEMBER 2008
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Olympic Dream An Olympic medal would be the most
important prize in a Squash player’s career
and the Olympic Games would, unquestionably,
be the most important event in the sport.
Every top player in the world guarantees to
play in the Olympics if eligible.
Universality
Squash is played by an estimated 15 - 20
million people in over 155 countries - with
more than a quarter of a million registered
athletes and over 600 professional athletes.
The WSF has 143 Member Nations, of which 134
have National Olympic Committees.
Spread of Medals
19 countries are represented in the top 32
of the Men’s and Women’s World Rankings. A
32 draw Olympic event would be of the
highest standard of play and would, on
current rankings, feature 8 of the Top 10
Men in the World and 9 of the Top 10 Women.
35 Nations would be represented, as would a
range of ethnic backgrounds.
Squash For All
Squash is above all a ‘participant sport’
and is a perfect way to get active and fit,
counter obesity and enjoy stimulating
competition. Squash is a Sport for All and
is perfectly suited to today’s lifestyle -
it is easy to learn, gives maximum exercise
in minimum time, is suitable for all ages
and can be played by anyone, anywhere,
anytime. Squash has real health and
recreational benefits for society and was
voted ‘The world’s healthiest sport’ by
Forbes Magazine. The vast majority of
administrators in Squash are, or have been,
regular players.
Youth
Junior Squash is an area of rapid growth,
both at recreational and elite levels. At
club level there is significant growth in
young players, worldwide. At elite level the
2008 World Men's Junior Championships in
Switzerland boasted a record entry and World
Junior Championships for girls and boys will
now be held annually following demand from
WSF Member nations.
Elite Squash
Squash has flourishing, world-wide
professional tours for Men and Women in 50
countries. World Championships have been
held annually for over 40 years for Men and
Women at Individual, National Team, Junior
and Masters levels and for players with
hearing disabilities. Athletes are
represented on every World Squash Federation
commission.
Cohesion
WSF Member Nations have a structural
framework that encourages participation and
excellence. Programmes include development
in urban areas, education linked projects
amongst disadvantaged youth and introductory
schemes at district, regional, state and
national level.
Gender Balance
Women account for 30% of all recreational
players and 37% of professional athletes.
The WSF board has led the way
internationally by having a 60/40
male/female breakdown since 1991.
Major Games
Squash is played in over 20 Multi-Sport
Games including the World Games, All-Africa
Games, Asian Games, Pan-American Games,
Commonwealth Games (in which it has been
named a 'core sport'), World University
Championships and World Masters Games. It
appears on the programme of almost all
Regional and Sub-Regional Games. In 1991
Squash was played in only 2 Multi-Sport
Games and this dramatic growth gives a
strong indication of its credentials for
Olympic inclusion.
Anti-Doping
Squash has a strong anti-doping culture and
wide dope testing programme. The number of
positive tests in the past decade has been
negligible. Squash is WADA compliant.
The Olympic Event
Squash in the Olympic Games would feature a
32 draw Men’s & Women’s event, with a
maximum of 2 athletes per NOC. It would be
played on all-glass, demountable courts
which are inexpensive for the Host City and
leave no ‘white elephant facility’ problems.
There would be 17 playing sessions with a
capacity of 5000 spectators.
Value Equation
Squash is a ‘high value’ sport for
Organising Committees as facilities required
for an Olympic event can be temporary,
compensating for relative lack of ticket
income. Training facilities are already
available in all major world cities,
including those bidding to Host the 2016
Olympic Games, but an option to add
dedicated training facilities that will
create a legacy for the local community
might be considered by the host city.
Television
Aided by all-glass courts, TV production
technology has developed positively in the
past few years and Squash is now regularly
featured on TV in more than 125 countries on
all continents. New technical developments
have significantly improved ball visibility.
Web Streaming
Squash was a leader in sport web-streaming
and in the past three years has attracted
large audiences. The last two World
Championships each reached audiences in over
75 countries while PSALIVE.tv features Men’s
and Women’s Tour events and has over 30,000
paid subscribers.
Athleticism
The most important feature of Squash. Squash
is supremely athletic - a dynamic,
competitive, skilful and physically
challenging sport with one-against-one
matches decided on objective results. There
is no place to hide on a Squash court.
