Squash Goes Gold:
WSF & PSA Announce New 2024 Paris Olympic Games Inspired Campaign
The World Squash
Federation (WSF) and Professional Squash Association (PSA)
have today launched an ambitious new campaign - "Squash Goes Gold"
- aimed at giving the global squash community the opportunity to take an
active part in the sport's future, including the bid to become part of
the Paris 2024 Olympic Games programme.
Alongside a series of other
strategic initiatives launched over the past year, such as the
youth-focused SquashFORWARD programme, Squash Goes Gold aims to
shape the future of the sport and make it even more innovative,
inclusive and sustainable.
Launched
ahead of the biggest tournament of the year, the 2018/19 PSA World
Championships presented by the Walter Family - which will see squash
played inside Chicago's Union Station just weeks after the 2019 J.P.
Morgan Tournament of Champions took place inside Grand Central Terminal
in New York in one of world sport's most unique venues - Squash Goes
Gold
www.squashgoesgold.com aims to build on the
sport's global growth during the past decade and will allow players and
fans of the game in all corners of the world to come together in support
of one common goal: seeing squash join the Olympic Games programme.
"Squash is played in some of
the most spectacular locations in the world - in front of the Pyramids
of Giza, on the harbour-front in Hong Kong, inside Grand Central
Terminal in New York - and our ability to showcase the beauty, youth and
innovative drive of Paris by setting up an all-glass court anywhere in
the city is something few sports can do,"
said WSF President Jacques Fontaine.
"Squash Goes Gold will allow
the squash community to further unite behind our Olympic campaign and
play their active part in helping our sport secure its place at the
Olympic Games. As a sport, we pride ourselves on our inclusivity and
work hard to provide opportunities for individuals to participate at all
levels - playing, officiating, coaching, managing and volunteering.
Including the Olympic dream, for those involved in the game at all
stages, would be a wonderful addition."
PSA CEO Alex Gough said:
"The Olympic
Games is the greatest sporting event in the world and there's no
question that a Gold Medal would be the pinnacle for any squash player.
"As a sport we have made
huge strides forward in the past decade; uniting the men's and women's
professional tours, enabling us to reach parity in men's and women's
prize money at major events, dramatically improving the sport's
broadcast arm and continuously improving both the spectator and viewer
experience.
"Squash is in the best
position it has ever been and this campaign will allow the sport's
global player and fan base to get involved with the Paris 2024 bid
directly and have their own influence on the future of the sport. A
future we hope will see squash featured in Paris in four years' time."
France's top ranked female
player Camille Serme (featured in top image with French team-mate
and former world No.1 Gregory Gaultier), winner of the World
Games and major PSA titles such as the British Open, U.S. Open and
Tournament of Champions, is playing a pro-active role within the bid
campaign which is aimed to get squash a place on the Paris 2024 sports
programme.
Serme said:
"The chance to compete
in an Olympic Games would be a dream come true - the chance to compete
in an Olympic Games in my home city would be unbelievable.
"We already see the squash
community coming together in support of our bid and hope that this new
campaign will help us collectively propel squash to where it deserves to
be - on the biggest sporting stage in the world."
(Above image showing leading
players from around the world (L to R): Camille Serme (France),
Nour El Sherbini (Egypt), Miguel Rodriguez (Colombia) and
Paul Coll (New Zealand))
Discover how you can help squash's campaign
for the 2024 Olympic Games campaign by going to
www.squashgoesgold.com
(Image above showing leading
USA player Amanda Sobhy, currently ranked 10 in the world)
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