Monday, October 16th, it was confirmed that squash would be included as an Olympic sport at the LA2028 Olympic Games. We are grateful for the World Squash Federation, the Professional Squash Association, and US Squash for their consolidated effort to pitch the sport to the LA2028 committee.
This decision likely comes as a surprise to most in the squash community since multiple attempts have been made to include squash as an Olympic sport over the past 50+ years. Ontario Squash Hall of Fame member and Squash Ontario friend Tony Swift shared a memory about the International Olympic Committee Chair giving feedback leading up to the 1979 games that squash could get in if the sport could have better viewing and cleaner interactions with the referees and players. New rule changes and an all-glass court solved these issues but later attempts to get into the Games proved fruitless. More recently, squash nearly missed prior to the London 2012 Olympics (missed by one vote), and then slipped further away for the Rio 2016 Games.
We expect this news to impact all levels of the game, not just our Olympic hopeful athletes, as we celebrate and play a sport that deserves it’s time in the spotlight. Volunteers, referees, coaches, amateur players, parents, club administrators, etc.; your commitment to squash was rewarded on Monday, October 16th.
An excerpt from the Squash Canada announcement:
Jamie Nicholls, CEO of Squash Canada: “Squash Canada celebrates the inclusion of our sport to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Program. It’s a testament to the resilience and determination of our national and global communities to at last take our rightful place on the world’s largest and most impactful sporting stage.
“To the athletes and coaches that have helped chart this important course: we thank you deeply for your contribution. And to young squash players across our nation: may this allow you to dream bigger, train harder and reach higher in your pursuit of the Olympic dream.”
Squash Canada is ecstatic by the IOC’s ratification of squash in the LA28 Games and looks forward to this next chapter for squash on the world stage.
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