CHENNAI: After failed bids to get the sport in previous Olympic Games, squash is finally in the official programme for 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. While expressing delight and relief over the inclusion, World Squash Federation (WSF) president and veteran sports administrator Zena Wooldridge said that they're hopeful of a successful bid to include the sport for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. Days after completing five years at office, Wooldridge, whose tenure is until 2028, outlined plans to sustain the game as an Olympic sport. In an interaction with select media during the opening ceremony of the Squash World Cup here, she also revealed plans to expand the game globally. Excerpts:
On plans to bid for Brisbane Olympics and 2036
Initially, we were only (being) allocated to one Olympics. It is a new, additional sport, but a full sport, so full medals. And then we have to bid again for the next Olympics in Brisbane 2032. We have already started that process. That will continue until probably the middle of next year, and they should make a decision in the middle of next year. So we've really strengthened our position as a sport. We're much stronger now than when we put the bid in for LA28, but there's no guarantee that we'll get in because Brisbane does not have the same facilities and the same resources that LA has.
On factors that may help keep squash in the Olympics
Yeah, the small footprint of costs, and the fact that we're very flexible to work with, because we're quite happy to design our format and our programme around the constraints and the needs of the host, whether it's going to be singles, doubles, whether it's one court, two courts, where you can put a glass court, it's very, very flexible and agile. So you take LA for example, they were really keen to use Universal Studios, but they thought, well what sport can we put in there and squash fits beautifully into Universal Studios to be able to showcase their creative film industry. So it's a dream come true for us.
On the importance of India's participation in Olympics
India is a big squash nation and very influential as a host, as participants, as providers of referees. It's a really important and a growing nation for us. There's a very likely chance that there will be, and it's really important for us, that we've got Indian squash players in that 16 draw because then that gives us broadcast coverage in India during the Olympics. And then, of course, we've got the Commonwealth Games as well in Ahmedabad in 2030 and that's also a really important milestone. So that will be an important milestone in terms of India's ambitions to host the 2036 Olympics.
On the federation's growth in the last five years
I mean, it's a big team effort. And I think the one thing that we have definitely done is we've improved our working relationship with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and with our colleagues in US Squash and now working very closely with Squash Australia as well. So it's really important that the sport works as a team. And I think we're an unusual sport in how well we're coordinated and how well we work together as a whole sport. And I think that makes a big difference to our Olympic ambitions because we're recognised as a sport that's joined up. Over the last three years, we've really moved the sport forward, we've improved the governance, improved the finances, modernised some of the championships.
On the federation's plans to expand to other countries
We're now going to work more closely with the African federations to make sure it has the capacity and the resources to recruit more African nations. We have got a few African nations in membership, but they're not that active, and I think the fact that we're Olympic and we can then draw upon Olympic solidarity funding to help with development, we need to encourage and support those nations to apply for Olympic solidarity funding to help the development of players, coaches, referees, development of coaches, (which) is going to be really very important. We're going to have a World Squash Academy, which is a learning platform. This means that coaching programmes are going to be more accessible, easier to access, cheaper to access, help with Olympic solidarity funding to help more coaches, to train more coaches, and more female coaches, so that we get more female players, and that's also very important.
On her interaction with newly-elected IOC president Kirsty Coventry
Only met her briefly, but we'll soon schedule a meeting with the IOC president, but she's been a bit busy recently, but yes when we have the opportunity, hopefully some time in the first quarter of the new year. She's making a lot of changes, and what we'd really like to see is the fact that she's going to review a lot of things including existing Olympic sports and disciplines, so previously we found it very difficult sitting on the edge where we have to work really really hard to get in and stay in, and now it becomes more open so that some of the existing sports also have to prove themselves, that might make it a little bit easier for us to stay in.
Tuesday's fixtures: Hong Kong vs Korea (10.30 am), Malaysia vs Poland (1pm), Japan vs Iran (3.30pm), India vs Switzerland (6pm).
