Squash Tries To Become An Olympic Sport By The 2020 Games

The squash World Series Finals at the Queen's Club in west London "may persuade the IOC to grant squash a place at the Games in '20," according to Nick Pitt of the SUNDAY TIMES. Twice the sport "has applied for Olympic inclusion, and twice it has been spurned." Now the campaign is on for the 2020 Games. And in earnest, for the present tournament "is also an unashamed showcase for the Olympic application." The sport’s administrators insist modern top-level squash "is fully Olympic-friendly." All-glass courts "enable better watching for greater numbers of spectators, and can be placed in spectacular locations, as shown by the tournaments played beside the pyramids in Egypt." When the first question asked by the IOC’s program commission after squash’s latest presentation in Lausanne, Switzerland was "Can you guarantee that your top athletes will get involved?" the answer was easy. The Olympics would instantly become the pinnacle of the sport. Seven-time and reigning women's world champion from Malaysia Nicol David said: "I would trade all my world titles for one Olympic Gold Medal" (SUNDAY TIMES, 1/6).