Squash looking to bounce back as a sport after Olympics rejection

N. Ramachandran, President of the World Squash Federation at the IOC congress in Buenos Aires where it was announced that wrestling had been re-introduced into the Olympics for 2020 (Getty Images)

Squash is looking to bounce back after its rejection at the hands of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Wrestling was chosen ahead of squash to be reinstated into the Olympic fold.

Squash is headed by N. Ramachandran, who is the President of the World Squash Federation (WSF). To put that in perspective, his elder brother is N. Srinivasan – the President of the ultra-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The two brothers are heading sports that are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of both popularity as well as clout.

While the BCCI goes about dictating terms to the International Cricket Council – the cricket governing body, the WSF does not quite have the same influence with the IOC.

In the words of Ramachandran himself, the sport was left broken and hurt, after being given the snub by the IOC.

This was the third time in a row that squash had missed the cut, some of the reasons being squash is not viewer friendly.

“In trying to please the IOC we have been almost reduced to serial bouts of begging, and even that hasn’t worked,” said James Willstrop, one of the sport’s leading players and faces of the campaign, in a column that he wrote after the failed bid.

Squash had put together a nice campaign and even roped in a big name tennis player, but unfortunately it failed to find favour with the IOC.

But, as officials and players begin to find their ground again, the sport is aiming to get back on track and go about doing what they do best in the hope of getting the nod for the 2024 edition.

“We don’t necessarily need it [Olympic status],” Willstrop said. “We know what we are about and it may well be that we now have to find our own way.”