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24-Apr-08:
Squash on IOC Shortlist
for 2016 Olympic Games
Following extensive global campaigning by the World Squash
Federation since the sport narrowly missed out being added to the
London 2012 programme, the WSF has received news from the IOC that
Squash has been included on the shortlist of sports under
consideration for the 2016 Olympic Games.
In a letter to Jahangir Khan, IOC Sports Director Christophe Dubi
congratulated and thanked the WSF President "most sincerely for the
tremendous work you accomplished in order to complete the
questionnaire for IOC Recognised International Federations".
Squash has been selected along with Baseball, Golf, Karate,
Roller Sports, Rugby and Softball.
Played by around 15 million enthusiasts on all five continents,
Squash has been vigorously campaigning to join the Olympic Games
programme for many years.
In 2005, Squash was voted into the London 2012 Olympic Games ahead
of Karate, Roller Sports, Rugby and Golf - but then failed to
achieve the two-thirds majority required to become ratified as an
Olympic sport.
"I am confident that the reason why Squash was chosen ahead of other
sports in 2005 is down to its image as an intensely athletic,
healthy, universal, inclusive and exciting world sport," said the
WSF President. "This image is the result of decades of positive
development."
Khan was delighted to receive the IOC letter, only days after being
the final torchbearer in the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in
Islamabad, the capital of his home country Pakistan.
"This is truly excellent news for our sport," said one of the
sport's most distinguished players, with six World Open titles and
record ten British Open trophies to his name. "We will be working
very hard to convince the IOC that Squash deserves a place on the
Olympic Programme."
Following the 2005 IOC meeting in Singapore, the WSF lobbied for a
change in the Olympic charter which would reduce from two-thirds to
a simple majority the voting policy for ratification as an Olympic
sport - thus aligning the threshold with the existing policy for
Olympic sports. This decision was duly taken at the IOC session in
Guatemala in July 2007.
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July 2005:
squash misses out
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The Case for Squash:
Squash presents a compelling case for inclusion on the Olympic
Programme after experiencing significant global growth since being
voted the No1 sport at the 2005 IOC Session in Singapore:
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Squash is primarily a ‘participant
sport’, as the vast majority of people associated with it actually
play, leading to real health/recreational benefits to society
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The sport is played by an estimated
15 million people in over 155 countries - with more than a quarter
million registered athletes, plus over 600 professional athletes.
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Juniors are an area of rapid growth:
The 2008 World Men's Junior Championships in Switzerland boast a
record entry. The WSF has not only recently decided to make its
World Junior Championships an annual event due to demand, but will
also create a new Juniors Committee and a global ranking system.
The flourishing European Junior Circuit featured 20 tournaments in
17 different countries in the 2006/07 season, with a record number
of entries.
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Squash enjoys a solid spread of
talent: All continents were represented in the top six positions
at the 2007 World Men’s Team Championship and top 11 at the World
Women’s Team Championship in 2006.
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The WSF now has 138 Member Nation
Federations (up from 125 in 2004) and more than 80% of all MNFs
organise an Annual National Championship across gender and all age
groups
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Women account for approximately 30%
of all recreational players and 37% of professional athletes.
Furthermore the WSF board boasts a 60/40 male/female breakdown.
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The sport 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 as a 'core sport'), World University Championships
and World Masters Games. This compares to just two events in 1991.
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Squash is also a “high value” sport
for Organising Committees as facilities required for an Olympic
event are both economical and temporary.
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TV production technology has
developed positively in the past few years - and Squash is now
regularly featured on TV in more than 125 countries across all
continents.
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