Latest estimated figures suggest that there are close to 20 million squash players worldwide. And if one thinks that the culture and taste for the sport exist only in a few global pockets, that is simply not the case. In June 2009, there were players from nineteen countries in the top fifty of the men’s world rankings showing how widespread the sport actually is.
Several reasons have been cited for this repeated snub the sport has received from the International Olympic Council- the most recent one has been pertaining to Tokyo 2020 and its bid for the event seems to have been damaged by the fact that the Olympics are being held in Japan. IOC rules allow hosts to propose and back additional sports to be included in the Olympic program and host countries are expected to choose disciplines where they are capable of bringing an impact.
The other, the more widespread argument has been that despite squash’s fast pace, it remains quite low on the television-friendly spectrum given the area the sport is played over, constraints of the court allowing only one angle of filming for the most part and the size of the ball which was too small to track in a fast-paced environment. A dedicated platform, Squash TV, managed by Professional Squash Association (PSA), disagrees citing an improvement in technology which allows for better visibility and easier attention retention.
The Bridge caught up with Saurav Ghosal, India’s premier Squash player, to understand a player’s perspective of what it would mean to have his sport included in the Olympics. In addition to how it would help the World body financially (World Rugby reported net spending of $30 million by National Federations in preparation for Rio 2016 when Rugby Sevens made a comeback to the Olympics after a long time that year), the possibility of an Olympic medal would be a great incentive to encourage the sport among a younger age-group thus ensuring the continuity of the sport.
READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment