The Arjun Gupta Foundation and Squash Canada are pleased to announce the Bursary for International Excellence. This Bursary has been created in honour of the late Arjun Gupta, a cherished member of the Canadian squash community and the Gupta family.
Arjun Gupta began his prolific squash career winning the Boys U13 Canadian Junior Championship in 2004, under the guidance of coach Jamie Nicholls. He followed this up with the Boys U15 US Junior Open in 2005 and the 2008 U19 Ontario Championships. Later that year, as a member of Team Canada, Arjun medaled at the Pan American Junior Championships in Lima, Peru. With training from Jonathan Power, Arjun went on to help Canada achieve their best historical finish at the World Junior Championships in 2010 alongside teammates Nicholas Sachvie, Andrew Schnell, Tyler Osborne and Coach Jonathan Hill, emerging victorious in the deciding match against England to earn the Bronze Medal. Arjun then starred for Cornell University as part of the Class of ’13, where the team peaked with a 4th place finish in the 2011 NCAA varsity championships.
After his time in the US, graduating from both Cornell University and Brooklyn Law School, Arjun returned to Canada and continued to dominate on the squash court, taking first place in the 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championships with partner Stephanie Edmison and in the 2018 Ontario Open Doubles Title with Will Mariani. In 2019, Arjun partnered with his brother Amar to earn the Bronze Medal at the Canadian Doubles Championship. During this period, Arjun could be found mentoring the next generation of juniors with Jim Paton at the Granite Club in Toronto both on and off the court. Arjun was part of one of the most decorated cohorts in Canadian junior squash history, achieving excellence on the court while prioritizing his friendships, family, and the community that makes our sport unique and special.
“Squash was one of the most important aspects of Arjun’s life and there’s nothing more he would have wanted than to support the next generation of talent and to see them succeed on the world stage”, says Amar Gupta, Arjun’s brother who is also a staple in the Canadian squash community.
The Arjun Gupta Foundation’s Bursary for International Excellence will consist of one or a series of $2500 bursaries available each year specifically for Canadian junior squash players and their pursuit of international excellence. Considerations for bursary selection will include playing level, professionalism of training program and support team, goals for the future, and need based. $2000 of these funds should be allocated specifically towards coaching, training, competition and/or related expenses (squash coaching, off-court conditioning, mental training, etc.). $500 of these funds will be allocated to the athlete’s designated National Training Centre. The successful applicant must be a junior aged 13 – 18 years old who is invested in their player development as a Team Canada athlete leading into the LA2028 Olympic Games.
“Squash Canada is proud to honour the memory and legacy of Arjun Gupta. This bursary will ensure that he and his cohort’s quest for excellence on and off the court will inspire and support the next generation of Canadian squash players. We thank the Arjun Gupta Foundation and the Gupta family for this important contribution to the future of our sport as we realize our Olympic dream,” says Squash Canada CEO Jamie Nicholls.