“Always the bridesmaid, but never the bride”: Niccolo Campriani, sports director of Los Angeles Games.
“I wish I was 10 years younger, no doubt about it”: Saurav Ghosal, India’s top squash professional.
These couple of one-liners best sum up squash’s entry into the Olympics. After several years and multiple editions of knocking on the Games door, the sport has finally been let in for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Finally” was a term that Ghosal stressed on after squash’s nod was made official on Monday, after coming close on a couple of occasions.
“It’s a monumental day for world squash,” he said on the sidelines of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session here. “Every squash player worth his salt has dreamt of this day. We’re excited that finally, finally, after all these years of perseverance, we’re finally making it to LA. You ask anyone who has even won 7-8 world titles, they will be ready to give up every single one of them to be able to get that one Olympic medal.”
The Olympics tag has the potential to not only change things for world squash but also the Indian game. Often not part of the mainstream due to its non-Olympic status, the sport could benefit in aspects like funding, infrastructure and focus on grassroots. For young players — Asian Games medallists Anahat Singh, 15, and Abhay Singh, 25, for example — it’s the kind of drive they would never have experienced.
“It opens up a lot of avenues of building infrastructure, taking it to the grassroots, really making a more broad-based sport in the country, which is a great thing for India,” said Ghosal, a multiple Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medallist. “For players, this is something to aim for. We have something tangible to look at — five years from now, we’re going to be in LA. Of course, we have to qualify for it. But we know that there is a shot. If we can make that shot, qualify and win a medal for India, that is the biggest source of pride that anyone can achieve.”
At 37, the face of Indian squash isn’t sure if he will be around to take that shot. But the Olympics is a big pull for Ghosal to at least give it a try.
“Look, if 2028 Olympics wasn’t there, I don’t think I’ll be playing till then,” he said. “I do not know yet if I’m going to do it. I need some time to figure out. Of course, if I play in 2028 (Olympics), I want to qualify and try and win a medal for India. I need to sit down with my team and see if it’s a realistic possibility. I hope I can do it. No promises, but it’s definitely something that is a big pull for me now. I will do everything I can to try my best and be there.”
The Olympics rejections compelled squash to innovate. Zena Wooldridge, World Squash Federation president, said it involved making the sport more broadcast-friendly, technology-advanced and cost-effective. Like “dropping the glass court with its technology into an existing venue” that would allow LA organisers to save money on building a court. Having 34 top-level tour events with £10 million riding on it was another factor, she said