Speaking in London at the launch of the Olympic 2020 campaign – the slogan for which is 'Squash: Sport at its Best' – the World Squash Federation (WSF) President, N Ramachandran, stressed the importance of new elements that have been introduced to the game within the last couple of years.

"We know we have to show the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Squash is a fantastic product, and that we are not scared to innovate," Ramachandran said.

"Over the past few years, since our last campaign for Olympic inclusion, the sport has progressed significantly with the introduction of SquashTV, Video Review technology, new and exciting showcourts with revolutionary lighting and an international ambassador programme.

"It is vital over this next campaign that we communicate these innovations to the IOC to show just how far the sport has come, and what the exciting plans are for the future of our sport.

"Squash is a growing, global sport played by 20 million men and women on more than 50,000 courts in 185 countries.

"We have thriving men's and women's professional tours – more than 500 players from 74 nations compete on the men's tour and over 350 on the women's.

"Prize money is growing, as are the number of events across the world, and our global calendar would be a fantastic promotional platform for Olympic Squash.

"It really is an exciting time for our sport."

Supporting the WSF 2020 Olympic Campaign, Malaysia's world number one, Nicol David – recently inducted into the WSF Hall of Fame – said just minutes after winning a record sixth World Open title in Rotterdam: "There is no question that the Olympic Games would be the absolute pinnacle of my career and I would happily trade all my six world titles for Olympic gold."


The women's world number three, Madeline Perry, has added her weight to the Squash 2020 Olympic campaign by signing a letter pledging her support to Squash 2020.

"Squash is a huge sport and to have the chance to represent my country on the world's greatest sporting stage would be amazing, not just for me, but for all players around the world," said the 34-year-old from Belfast.

The Professional Squash Association's dedicated TV operation, SquashTV, has covered over 20 major events with distribution to 20 broadcasters worldwide with a potential reach of 340 million viewers

"Video Review", which allows match officials to review decisions via TV replay, has considerably boosted the spectator experience at major events

The 2011 men's World Team Championship in August in Paderborn, Germany, used the latest all-glass showcourt, featuring new larger glass panels, on-court air conditioning, a new floor and revolutionary lighting – all of which provided an enhanced experience for both athletes and spectators.

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