Program to celebrate World Squash Day

The World Squash Day falls today and to mark this Sri Lanka Squash Federation has decided to celebrate the event by inaugurating a National Junior Development Program with the sole intention of encouraging school children between the ages of 9 -15 to take to the game. Needless to say the training and progress of each child will be closely monitored by the Federation and fully qualified coaches would be assigned for the program.

Squash is played by over by men, women and children in 175 countries around the world, and every endeavour is made by the World Squash Federation to have the game included in the Olympic Games by the year 2016.

According to the President of the Sri Lanka Squash Federation Oliver Guruge To commemorate this day this year, the Squash fraternity all over the world are looking forward to it being admitted to the Olympic Family, where a final decision is to be made by the IOC on 7th October 2009.

Oliver who was former National Champion said Former world squash champion Peter Nicol once said: 'Our ultimate aim is for every club in the world to open their doors on this one special day, to show people what a fantastic sport we have, to get media and personalities involved, and encourage new participants to take up the game.'

At present, in Sri Lanka, only a handful of Schools & clubs have Squash as a game on their sports calendars and our Development Program is aimed at getting more parents and schools to encourage their children to take to the game.

We are mindful that this is an ambitious undertaking but are confident that parents, school authorities, Ministries of Sports and Education and well-wishers will support us.

Meanwhile World Squash Federation President N. Ramachandran stated his message for the World Squash day that he delighted to learn of the massive leaflet distribution planned by Sri Lanka Squash to increase awareness of and generate activity for World Squash Day 2009, this all to help our bid to get squash into the 2016 Olympic Games.

In a message from the World Squash Federation Olympic Bid Coordinator Dr George Mieras A stated that In 1985 Squash was recognized by the IOC as a sport and our long, long campaign to become an actual medal playing sport.

Squash has put our campaign into overdrive from January this year and we know that we are regarded as a very serious contender nowIn June we make our final presentation to the IOC Board in Lausanne and we shall know in August if we are one of the two sports nominated.

Squash 2016 Day is very important for us therefore to demonstrate to IOC Members that huge numbers of squash players and supporters worldwide want their sport into its rightful place in the pinnacle of sporting achievement, the Olympic Games, and this means activity in every centre and club possible worldwide. With this message getting across our 1985 dream might at last become a well deserved reality.