Cyrus Poncha elated to take charge as Vice-President of Asian Squash Federation

Cyrus Poncha, the secretary general of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has been unanimously elected as the Vice-President of the Asian Squash Federation on Saturday.

Cyrus Poncha will be the Vice-President for a four-year term. Fayez Abdullah S. Al-Mutairi of Kuwait and Tae-sook Heo of Korea are the other two Vice-Presidents along with Cyrus Poncha.

David Mui of Hong Kong was elected unopposed as the President for a second term.

Cyrus Poncha is the third Indian after N Ramachandran and Debendranath Sarangi to hold office as the Vice-President of the Asian Squash Federation.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Cyrus Poncha said he was happy to be a part of the Asian Squash Federation and termed it a huge honor and responsibility.

“I have been very active over the years in Indian squash and I now have a chance to do something good for squash at the Asian level. I am honored to be in the international body and for getting a chance to develop squash at the international level and to promote and develop the game as Asian squash is a powerhouse at the world level.”

Next year is an important year for Asian squash

Cyrus Poncha was instrumental in starting domestic squash events in Chennai and Noida after the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. He said he would love to replicate the same at the Asian level as the upcoming year is an all-important one for the players.

“The first thing would be to start events. We have had the ball rolling in India with a couple of events. The next year is a huge year for squash. We have the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. They are big events and it is wonderful to be taking charge now.”

Having grown up in the ranks from being a player to a coach and then an administrator, Cyrus Poncha feels he has got enough experience to understand every aspect of the game from various quarters. He said he would put all his experience to use to develop the sport.

“I would say my experience would be a shot-in-the-arm for Asian squash. I was a player, then a coach and then an administrator. I have the knowledge of being with the players and the coaches. I know what they want and what would be the best for them. I hope I can guide them through my experience and lift Asian squash to bigger levels.”

The president of the SRFI, Debendranath Sarangi, in a statement, congratulated Cyrus Poncha on his appointment. He said:

“Cyrus has shown his dedication and commitment to the promotion and development of squash for more than two decades. From a player, to a coach and now to an administrator, Cyrus has a wealth of experience. I am sure he will flourish in his new appointment.”