Following the gold-medal performance of squash’s ‘Golden
Girls’, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa, at the
Commonwealth Games, the sport is set to receive another
boost: WSA and PSA today announced The JSW Indian Squash
Challenger Circuit scheduled for October 2014 across
Jaipur, Mumbai and Chennai.
This marks a significant milestone for squash in Asia as
India for the first time hosts a four-match series
sanctioned by the PSA and WSA.
The circuit will draw talent from all over the world, and a
host of Indian professional players and aspiring
professionals will add to the local flavor.
The circuit, which begins in Jaipur on 2 October 2014,
will move on to Mumbai before the finale in
Chennai.
With Indian squash reaching new heights through the landmark
achievements of Saurav Ghosal, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna
Chinappa, many youngsters have indicated a strong interest
in the game and are looking to turn professional. This
international circuit – a jump forward for the game as well
as India’s athletes – is evidence of PSA and WSA’s
commitment to the growth of squash in India and the broader
Asia region.
“We at JSW have always believed that there is a huge
talent pool for the sport in the country and have through
the last many years, made a strong commitment to the sport,
having nurtured talent at the Jindal Squash Academy, which
now has to its credit, 7 international players, 22 national
players and 46 state level players,” said Mustafa
Ghouse, CEO of JSW Sport, the tournament’s primary
sponsor and recipient of the prestigious Rashtriya Khel
Protsahan Puruskar from the President of India, in
recognition of company’s efforts to develop athletic talent
within the country.
“A challenger series such as this will provide young
talent in the sport the appropriate boost and instill in
them the confidence needed to perform on an international
stage,” he continued.
Current Indian squash players are excited by this newest
competitive opportunity in their country. Dipika Pallikal,
India’s No. 1 women’s squash player, said:
 “The
Challenger Series is a great platform for youngsters to hone
their game by playing with some of the top players from
across the world, and I strongly believe that that the sport
will benefit from it.
"I also hope that we are provided with more such
opportunities to host international events of such caliber
which can only benefit the popularity and exposure required
for the growth of the sport.”
Five-time national champion Ritwik Bhattacharya, the
PSA/WSA Representative for Asia, is also keen to see the
growth of squash in India.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the youngsters in the
game to gain some experience and exposure,” Bhattacharya
said.
“It is also is a great exhibition for the promotion of
Squash for enthusiasts, fans, as well as India Inc, who can
have a visual image of the Top Athletes from the
Professional World Tour in the healthiest sport in the World
as voted by the Forbes Magazine. Everyone connected with the
game of squash in the country is very excited by the arrival
of the Indian Challenger Circuit.
“JSW’s support of Squash is the beginning of huge wave of
development of the game and certainly paves the way for
future Champions who will not need to go abroad to gain
valuable ranking points and improve their global rankings.”
Sanctioning this event is the PSA and WSA, affiliates of the
World Squash Federation (WSF), which has more than 1000
players from 80 countries (including 10 Indians) currently
registered as professional players and hopes to see this
circuit as a constant fixture on the World Squash Tour.
“The initiative is a fantastic one and will be of immense
value to our fraternity and in particular to the young
Indian professional players as also for aspiring
professionals,” said Alex Gough, PSA CEO.
“We welcome JSW to our community of sponsors and are once
again delighted to be working with Ivy Sports, who were
responsible in delivering arguably India’s best squash event
to date.”
Tommy Berden, Acting CEO of WSA Tour added: “We
are delighted to welcome the JSW Indian Squash Circuit to
our Women’s World Tour calendar.
"With the recent success of Joshna Chinappa and Dipika
Pallikal, two of the top players on the Women’s Tour, this
initiative will go a long way in developing our sport in
India and Asia.”
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