Olympic Dream Squashed Again

Another agonising defeat for Squash in its bid for inclusion in the Olympic Games.

The sport has once again been denied a place on the world’s biggest sporting stage, with wrestling given the nod to remain part of the programme in a vote by the full IOC membership at the IOC congress in Buenos Aires.

It is déjà vu for Squash, which previously dipped out narrowly in the voting for the 2012 and 2016 Games.

It’s a bitter blow for WSF President N. Ramachandran and his team, who spent countless hours and a not inconsiderable amount of money on what was a very professional and compelling bid for inclusion in the 2020 Games, which will be held in Tokyo.

Squash New Zealand Chief Executive Jim O’Grady says the entire squash community will be devastated.

“It’s just so hard to understand why the sport keeps getting knocked back at the final hurdle.  Squash fits perfectly into the Olympic ideals.  The players are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet and the Games would be the pinnacle of the sport, which would ensure that all of the top players would be competing.

“It’s a heartbreaking decision and no doubt there will be some soul searching for the dedicated team that strived so hard to realise the Olympic dream.

“But squash will survive and will continue to grow.  Hopefully when the disappointment subsides, the fight will resume to get squash the Olympic status it deserves in 2024.

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