N. Ramachandran, left and Jahangir Khan, right: "Our USP is being low-cost and gender neutral. It’s perfect for everybody and it doesn’t cost much to buy a racquet and play in local courts."
Seven sports are campaigning to join the Olympic program for the 2016 Games, each presenting their case next week to the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne.
Baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash are the candidates.
In this installment of our series on each of the sports, N Ramachandran, President of the World Squash Federation, talks about squash and the Olympics.
Why is the time right for squash to join the Olympics?
N Ramachandran: It is well established with very few variations and disciplines and we are totally WADA-compliant. We are in all multisport events such as the Asian Games and Pan Am Games and a core sport in the Commonwealth Games. The only event we have yet to be in is the Olympics.
Why are the Olympics important for squash?
NR: The Olympic Games provides the biggest stage on which we can showcase our best players. All of our best players have said the Olympics will be the pinnacle of their careers and we have presented this pledge to the IOC. We genuinely believe the time has come for squash to be in the Olympics.
What is the contribution squash makes to the Olympic Games?
NR: We are a professionally-run body with 147 member federations in all five regions of the world. [For the Olympics] we have 64 athletes playing singles – 32 in the men’s competition, 32 in the women’s. We are a low-cost sport and would always leave behind something as a legacy for the [host] city; we don’t need additional new infrastructure. For us, all we need is an open hall with capacity for 5,000 spectators. We don’t need many training facilities; all the four [2016] bid cities have clubs where we have arrangements for the athletes to train. Also, we can set up glass-sided courts at iconic locations in cities; we have done it with a squash court in a museum in Chicago.
What is your unique selling point over your rivals?
NR: Our USP is being low-cost and gender neutral. It’s perfect for everybody and it doesn’t cost much to buy a racquet and play in local courts. We have squash played in 175 countries. Not only that, we can boast of world champions, both men and women, from each of the five continents, if the IOC is looking at universality.
What has the campaign been like?
NR: We feel we are doing a good job with the resources we have. Squash 2016 Day with events and representatives in all major cities, including in the U.S., Europe and Asia, was a very big success for us. At Sportaccord in Denver, I got a good impression [from IOC members]. In Berlin in August, the IOC Executive Board will decide to recommend two or three sports to the October Session. I don’t think we have peaked
Approximately 15-20 million people worldwide in all five continents play squash. (AFP/Getty Images)too early.Are you planning to ramp up your campaigning in the time leading up to the Berlin Executive Board meeting in August, and if so, what can we expect?
NR: We have put our best foot forward and hopefully we get into the Olympics. In between our presentation [next week] and August, naturally we will be spreading the message of squash to more people.
What have you done to make squash interesting and suitable for the Olympics?
NR: After Singapore where we didn’t get the two-thirds majority vote to get in, we revamped the scoring system totally.
We have a point-a-rally system which is now accepted at all major championships. The games are shorter and quicker and it makes viewing much better. We have a three referees system and the majority decision is taken so the players can’t complain that the referee was being partial. With new HDTV coverage, the game is more spectacular and we are The World Squash Federation has 147 national federations affliated with the organization. (AFP/Getty Images) also working with Hawkeye technology [to improve TV presentation]; there are a few glitches which we are very confident of overcoming. On the WSF website, we have also introduced web streaming so you can get live scores.
How effective has the sport’s Olympic Task Force been?
NR: Dramatic. A major bid can’t be done with just a few individuals. We needed to think outside the box and that’s why we came up with this task force. The task force is in touch with everyone; we use and take ideas from the Professional Squash Players Association (PSA) and Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA). We have had input from specialists on the Olympics and technical sides to players, referees, senior officials and volunteers. It’s a team effort; but we have an IF to run as well.
Has WSF’s lack of financial firepower to throw at the campaign reduced your chances against the bigger federations in the bid race?
NR: It’s not a question of money; it’s about the will and determination of the federation. In my view nothing is impossible and what we have done is tell our national member federations to contribute to our Olympic campaign, and they have done so; players have too along with individuals who have a passion for the sport. We are very proud of that; these are things we will never forget.
How confident are you and do you think the chances of squash have improved in recent months?
NR: I am always an optimist. We all feel reasonably confident but we have to wait. We are trying to place ourselves in the minds of the IOC Executive Board and look at the types of questions they could ask of us and what they want… and do the maximum possible under the existing circumstances; the rest as they say is in the lap of the gods.
With reporting from Mark Bisson.
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