Perpetual bridesmaid squash gets its grand Olympic-size wedding | Sport-others News

There is a one-decade-old line from Malaysian squash superstar Nicol David that sums up the frustration of anyone who has played the sport at the elite level. “I would trade my six world titles for an Olympic gold medal,” an exasperated David had said after the sport had been ignored for the sports program for Rio 2016, the second successive time it was failing to break into the exclusive club that is the Olympics. David’s frustrations have been shared many of her peers over the past decades. But after repeated rejections, the sport finally finds itself as a part of the Olympic movement after the IOC voted on Monday to approve its presence at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. At the IOC Session, former Olympics medal-winning shooter Niccolo Campriani, who is now the LA28 Sports Director, summed up the situation simply: “This sport has always been the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
“The Olympics (will be) the epitome of world squash! You ask anyone who has even won seven-eight world titles, they will be ready to give up every single one of them to be able to get that one Olympic medal,” said 37-year-old Saurav Ghosal. “It’s an absolutely monumental day for world squash. Every squash player worth his salt has dreamt of this day. I wish I was 10 years younger, no doubt about it.”
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Miner MK Stalin and Tamil Nadu Youth Affairs and Sports Miner Udhayanidhi Stalin present a cheque to squash player Saurav Ghosal during the felicitation ceremony for Asian Games medals, in Chennai, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. (PTI Photo)
Despite the ravages of age on his body, and the fact that he will be 42 when the LA 2028 Games come along, Saurav did not rule out the fact that he could try and make a push for competing at LA.
“If the 2028 Olympics wasn’t there (on the horizon), I don’t think I would have been playing till then. I do not know yet if I’m going to do it. I need some time to sit down with my team, my family and figure out if it’s a realic possibility. I hope that I can do it! No promises right now, but it’s definitely something that is a big pull for me now. I will do everything I can to be there,” Saurav told Indian journals at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai after the news was sealed the IOC Session.
Not just its protagons, squash’s presence at the Olympics also has the power to rejuvenate the sport, believe the global custodians of the sport.
The World Squash Federation currently has 86 full members besides 39 associate members. This number of 125 nations that play the sport globally could have been much higher if the sport had been at the Olympics. LA 2028, in a sense, could be a ‘breakthrough’ moment for the sport in a country like China, which is very serious about Olympic sport at large. At the recent Hangzhou Asian Games, which China hosted and dominated in almost every sport, they only had doubles players competing in squash.
“This is a game changer for us. Being in the Olympics is very important to our sport and our national federations. We haven’t had the chance to drive that growth because there are nations which will engage with Olympic sports, but not non-Olympic sports. That’s been one of our problems. Since we are not in the Olympics, it has been difficult for our national federations to get funding from governments,” said Zena Wooldridge, president of the global squash federation.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach gestures while speaking during the second day of the 141st IOC session in Mumbai, India, October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni
What turned the tide for squash
Wooldridge said that what worked in the favour of the sport was a troika of factors: one, that it puts a diverse variety of athletes on the podium from various continents. Two, that it has been donning its creative hat over the years to make it more appealing with glass flooring and LED lights to make the field of play look more exciting. And three, that it was financially flexible which helped the LA 2028 organisers include it as part of the five-sport package, which had four other team sports.
This is why squash at the LA 2028 will only be a singles event, since doubles requires a separate, wider court.
“For LA, what we did was tell the organising committee that we’ll be flexible. We are open to fitting into what you need. We’ll work with you. Needing the doubles court would have added complexity. We’re the smallest sport among those five (cricket, lacrosse, flag football and baseball/softball). We have the smallest footprint,” said Wooldridge.
She also gave a glimpse of what the squash events at LA 2028 could look like.
“Imagine dropping a squash glass court with its exing technology at an iconic venue in Los Angeles. It will showcase not just the technology, but also the venue as well. They won’t even have to bear the cost of the court because we can provide that,” said Wooldridge.
Squash has staged tournaments with some iconic backdrops – the San Francisco Oakland-bay Bridge, the Hong Kong harbour and skyline along Kowloon river, the Grand Central Terminal in New York, the waterfront of Shanghai Bund in China and the peerless Great Pyramid of Giza. The elevated glass courts offer the flexibility to unpack and pack, and get airdropped against stunning settings that have enhanced the visual appeal of the sport.
“The sport has been on the edge of being in the Olympics so many times it’s driven us to be more innovative and develop the sport. Squash used to struggle because of its broadcast capabilities. We’re a more broadcastable sport now.”Most Read
1
‘Cowards just sweep against spin’, the way ‘Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played spin was bizarre’: Rashid Latif hits out

2
When ex-ISRO chief was told to ‘get lost’ ISRO satellite centre

See More

The sport can also add more drama than other racquet sports.
“We have two players dancing around each other on the court and then there is the referee who sits in the middle of the audience. The referee is part of the drama because of the interference rule,” said Wooldridge.
“We sat on the edge of the Olympics for so long! Finally, the stars have started to align.”
Come 2028, the perpetual bridesmaid will get its grand wedding.