13-year-old Ethiopian Squash Player Shines at IOC Presentation

Today marked a crucial step for the sport of Squash in its bid for inclusion in the Olympic Games from 2016. A team of six Squash representatives made their most important presentation so far to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland.

But it was the youngest member of the group, 13-year-old Hanna Fekede Balcha, who was the star of the show.

Hanna is Ethiopian, but her family moved to San Diego, USA, when she was nine years old to build a new life for themselves. Hanna was accepted to the Surf City Squash program in San Diego which enables students to play Squash alongside their studies. Through a structured programme which promotes hard work, both academically and physically, Hanna has progressed to being a Grade A student as well as Under 15 Urban Squash Champion. Her aspirations are now to push boundaries even further in becoming the first member of her family to go to university but also, at 20 years old, her dream is to represent Ethiopia at the Olympic Games in 2016.

View the full story at http://www.squash.ca/e/story_detail.cfm?id=2225

Squash Prepares for Presentation of a Lifetime

The Squash 2016 bid team is making final preparations for its presentation of the low-cost high-impact sport to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board in Lausanne, on Monday 15 June, in its endeavour to have Squash included in the Olympic Games from 2016.

All seven bidding sports will make presentations, and Squash believes that it has all the right attributes to make it worthy of a spot. The bid team will have 30 minutes to prove its worth to the Executive Board. The team of six will be led by IOC Member, HRH Prince Tunku Imran of Malaysia, and will include N Ramachandran, President of the World Squash Federation (WSF), and women’s world No1 Nicol David, along with three other players from across the globe.

As well as debuting a brand new video that highlights just how good Squash looks on television, the team will also talk about the impressive universality of squash, and what a low-cost addition to the Olympic Games the sport would be. Just two glass squash courts would be required to stage the competition, and the WSF has pledged to donate these to the host city. The courts can be placed almost anywhere and importantly their donation would be permanent, so Squash would leave a lasting legacy in Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo.

http://www.worldsquash.org.uk/newspage2008.asp?NewsID=225

SQUASH MAKES A RACKET FOR OLYMPIC BID

Squash For 2016 Day produced a resounding rallying cry all over the world to support squash's bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games. In a worldwide festival of squash, leading professionals lent their support to the bid by joining in hundreds of Olympic-themed events, all taking place on the same day.

The biggest event of the day was held at the Apawamis Club in Rye, New York, where squash legends Jonathon Power and John White took part in a 100-a-side Battle Of The Border fixture.

Other events took place in India (Taj Mahal and the Gateway to India), Malaysia (Petronas Towers), South Africa (Table Mountain) and London, where enterprising student James Poole showed his passion for squash by hiring a London bus to tour the city and stop off for photographs at the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

For more: http://www.worldsquashday.com/

Squash Canada Women's National Squad Coach - Shauna Flath

Squash has been a huge part of my life for over 25 years. The sport, the friendships, the clubs, the events, the players and the entire community worldwide is truly amazing.

Squash for me has been a life journey and truly rewarding. As a junior and adult player I have a lot of memories and experiences but as a coach I find it an incredible profession. Teaching the game to new players, young and old, novice to elite is a challenge and more importantly FUN.

Squash 2016 Day is a celebration of squash. May 23rd gives the squash community around the world the opportunity to showcase "our" incredible sport and bring awareness to how we do deserve to be an Olympic sport. For it to be in the Olympics would be the catalyst that the sport deserves. The athleticism, the creativity and discipline required to compete at the highest level ranks as one of the best sports in the world. From a global perspective squash is in every corner you go.

My goals as a coach are to elevate the level of all players young and old. To introduce and raise awareness to others about how much fun this game is to play and to pass onto others what I have learned along the way. Squash to me is about the culture that surrounds the game – GREAT people.

I have had some fantastic coaches that have been great influences on me and I would like to take the opportunity to thank Peter Robutka (my first coach - dating myself here J), Ian Paton, Arthur Hough and most importantly Sharon (Tren) Trenaman my longest coach who also encouraged and inspired me to become a coach. Thank-you Tren, now I know and appreciate what you were talking about - get better mate!

Squash does not grow unless people get involved. The game doesn’t expand unless there is passion and commitment behind it. So on May 23rd make sure to get out on the court, play a match then the loser buys the beer and toast how truly great our game is. Remember to lobby hard wherever you are about how our game deserves the opportunity that so many other sports have had, to be crowned an Olympic Champion.

Cheers to all squash players, coaches, officials and fans of the game on World Squash Day May 23rd!