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!

Squash Canada National Squad Athlete - Alana Miller

Happy Squash 2016 Day Everyone!

Today is a day for me and you to celebrate and raise awareness for our sport. Squash to me has been a source of balance, challenge and opportunity. Since I was eleven, squash has played a major role in my life as an activity that manages stress by being the perfect study break and by providing my often hectic life with routine. At times squash has even been a source of stress when dealing with the short comings of my game.

Squash is a challenge as I am trying continuously to reach my potential, and to improve my ranking. I have come a long way from being a sluggish 15 year old who cried during provincial team 5km training runs to a person who now enjoys rigorous repetitive aerobic building activities—even hard core running. I also love the physical test that squash provides every time I step on court.

Although the training is sometimes difficult, the sacrifice has opened doors. I have had the opportunity to travel, to compete in the Pan Am Games, World University Games and World Championships, and to enjoy the camaraderie that accompanies being a part of team Canada. Undoubtedly squash has made my life interesting.

My intention for Squash Day 2009 is to raise the awareness of squash so that others can appreciate the benefits of squash, just as I have. In so doing, I hope to enhance the profile of squash to so that our sport will be chosen for the 2016 Olympics.

Onto the courts we go…

Alana Miller

For more information on Alana please visit her national squad athlete profile here: http://www.squash.ca/e/high_performance/bios/women/miller.htm

Squash Canada National Squad Athlete – Laura Gemmell’s Squash 2016 Day Blog

Over the past ten years, squash has meant so much to me and given me so many wonderful opportunities. Firstly, I have met so many amazing people all around the world and made lasting friendships. I love keeping in touch with foreign squash players via facebook and seeing them at international tournaments. The squash community is relatively small, but we’re most certainly very close.

I have been playing squash ever since I was 8 years old. My parents had encouraged me to try every possible sport, including tennis, badminton, soccer, gymnastics, skating, snowboarding, and many other ones. The list was seriously endless! However, I felt a passion for squash that I didn’t feel about the other sports. I love the individual competition and I loved having to think of strategies and counter-strategies to defeat my opponents. I loved the challenge associated with every match, and I think those are the reasons why I have spent so much time over the last 10 years working to improve my game. Squash has also given me the opportunity to travel around the world. I have been to Belgium and Hong Kong for the last two junior women’s world championships, and this summer will be competing in India for my third. The experience of traveling around the world to represent your country is a very special and rewarding one. To know that all your hard work has meant something is a great feeling and I definitely enjoy those championships the most as an athlete.

If squash was an Olympic sport, it would mean so much to the squash community. The prestige of the Olympics games is second to none and I think squash players work extremely hard and deserve to represent their respective countries at these games.



Today is Squash 2016 Day and my plans include watching my younger sister Michelle compete in the Junior Women’s National team trials as she tries to make her first junior national team. I encourage every squash player to get on court and play the sport that we love today


Laura Gemmell

For more information on Laura please visit her national squad athlete profile here: http://www.squash.ca/e/high_performance/bios/jrwomen/l_gemmell.htm

The Squash World Comes Together to Celebrate Squash on May 23

Players, clubs and associations from around the world will join forces on Saturday May 23rd, 2009 to make their voices heard in support of Squash’s bid to be included in the 2016 Olympics.
Major events are taking place all over the globe with special focus on the four cities bidding to host the 2016 Games, namely Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo; as well as England, Malaysia and New Zealand. Some of the spectacular events worldwide are:

Auckland, NZ - Squash 2016 Day was launched in style today as rock star Phil Buscke of New Zealand band The Datsuns did a bungee jump off Auckland Harbour Bridge. Guitarist Buscke, an A grade squash player, jumped not once, but twice - proudly waving a banner with the message "Squash and the Olympics, a Perfect Match".

Helsinki, FIN - Finnish ace Olli Tuominen, the current world No21, is hosting a day of Mini-Squash in the streets in Helsinki.

Connecticut, USA - squash legends Jonathon Power (Canadian former World #1) and John White will be appearing in the 100-a-side Battle Of The Border match at the Apawamis Club.

Squash Canada President Joe Hattori stated that “Squash is a sport which should be included in the Olympics. It is a sport played around the world and is a true test of athleticism. It embraces all of the Olympics ideals. Squash Canada fully supports World Squash Day and encourages players, clubs and associations to participate”.

See the full story here: http://www.squash.ca/e/story_detail.cfm?id=2213

Squash Leaps Towards 2016 Olympics

Squash 2016 Day was launched in spectacular style today (Friday) as rock star Phil Buscke of New Zealand band The Datsuns did a bungee jump off Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The event showed just how far squash players will go to display their support for the sport's bid for Olympic inclusion in 2016.

Guitarist Buscke, an A grade squash player, jumped not once, but twice - proudly waving a banner with the message "Squash and the Olympics, a Perfect Match".

Buscke said he has been asked to do many things by Squash New Zealand over the years, but nothing quite so dramatic as jumping off the bridge. "That was amazing, such a huge adrenaline rush - I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

The spectacular stunt is the precursor to a worldwide flurry of activity as the global squash community unites in support of the Olympic bid on Squash 2016 Day tomorrow (Saturday).

For further information on Squash 2016 Day activities, please log on to: http://www.worldsquashday.com/

Squash 2016 Day Unites Players In Support Of Olympic Bid

From the townships of Soweto to many of the world's wealthiest cities, from the southern tip of South America to the edge of the Arctic Circle, squash players all over the globe are uniting to support their sport's bid for a place in the 2016 Olympic Games.

Squash 2016 Day takes place on Saturday (May 23) with a worldwide festival of Olympic-themed events.

Special emphasis is focused on the four cities bidding to host the 2016 Games, with extensive squash programmes scheduled to take place in Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo.

All four cities will be holding open-air demonstrations and open days at major clubs with top professionals lending a hand.

For further information on Squash 2016 Day activities, please log on to: http://www.worldsquashday.com/

For information on the World Squash Federation Olympic bid, please go to: http://www.squash2016.info/

Come celebrate "Squash 2016 Day" on May 23 at the Junior Women's National Team Trials.

TORONTO – Michelle Gemmell and Rebecca Lau, both of Toronto, Alix Younger of Winnipeg, Jennifer Pelletier of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Danielle Letourneau of Calgary will square off for the third and final spot on the women’s world junior squash team at a trials tournament May 22-24 at the Toronto Badminton and Racquet Club.

Four-time Canadian junior champion Laura Gemmell of Toronto and Samantha Cornett of Ottawa secured the first two berths with their strong performances this season.

The trials are a round robin tournament with each player facing each other once. The matches are best of fives and the best overall record wins the tournament. The first tie-breaker is the result from the head-to-head competition.

The women’s world junior championships are scheduled for July 27-August 8 in Chennai, India.

http://www.squash.ca/e/story_detail.cfm?id=2208

Malaysian Superstar Nicol David Backs Squash 2016 Day

Squash superstar Nicol David is holding an auction of her favourite rackets and clothing to help the sport's bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics.

David, the 26-year-old world No1 from Malaysia, is leading the Squash For 2016 Day events being held in her home city of Penang on Saturday March 23rd.

Up for bidding will be many of the rackets she has used to win 25 major titles on the WISPA World Tour, plus many of the outfits she has worn on court during those finals.

For more information on the event in Penang, please visit www.squashstars.com/events

Rock Star Jumps In To Launch Squash For 2016 Day

Squash For 2016 Day is tuning up for a high-volume launch on Saturday May 23rd with a leading rock star staging a spectacular stunt to support the game’s bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics.

Phil Buscke, a guitarist with New Zealand hard rock band The Datsuns, will be dressed in his Squash For 2016 T-shirt as he does a bungee jump from Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Buscke, who used to play A grade squash in New Zealand and was a member of the Kiwis' high performance squad before The Datsuns gained international fame, says he is determined to help raise the profile of the game in its crucial build-up to the Olympic voting process.

Phil said: "I've been asked to do a lot of things by Squash New Zealand in the past, but I never thought they'd ask me to jump off a bridge."

On the Olympic bid, he added: "All I can say is, if I'm throwing myself off a bridge, squash had better bloody well get in!"

On splitting his time between recording and touring