Squash in South Africa has been given a significant boost with the sport’s addition to the Olympic roster for the 2028 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles.
After many years of putting forward its case for inclusion in the Games, the decision by the International Olympic Committee has been widely welcomed by squash administrators and players around the world.
“Alongside the World Squash Federation, Squash SA feels that this has been a long time coming,” said Squash SA President Kyle Potgieter. “When we heard that WSF president Zena Wooldridge was attending the IOC meeting, we knew we had been accepted, but couldn’t celebrate until it was officially announced by the world body. From our point of view, no words can truly describe the joy after hearing the news that squash had successfully been admitted to the LA28 Olympics. This is a moment that the squash community could only have dreamed of and now it has become a reality. There is incredible excitement across squash circles in South Africa and this is a transformational step for the future of the sport. It is, indeed, a historical moment for squash and the Olympics have now instantly become the new zenith of the sport.”
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South African professional and top-ranked woman, Alex Fuller, said it was fitting that squash had finally received its place on the Olympic stage.
“The excitement has been super high from squash players around the world and we are finally getting recognition from one of the world’s biggest events – the Olympics,” said the world’s 36th-ranked player. “As a sport, squash has developed and changed over the years. It’s become extremely physical , fast-paced and attacking. It’s a sport played at the highest intensity and, being a sport for all ages and any level, it’s only fitting that squash is a part of the Olympics.”
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee President Barry Hendricks, who has close ties to squash, was also delighted with the decision.
“As a former president of Squash SA, I am thrilled with this decision,” he said. “I know the World Squash Federation has been working hard and tirelessly to get to this point and it’s a wonderful opportunity to create new role models and champions for other people to follow. Our policy at SASCOC is that if you meet the qualification requirements, we will take you.”
Hendricks added that SASCOC would now meet with the national body and its high-performance team to map out the way forward, including the qualification process for players over the next five years.