Why should Squash be in the Olympics?

I read this article on a blog, and i believe this deserves being shared.

So why should squash be in the Olympics? Here's why:

• It’s a growing, global sport, played in 185 countries on over 50,000 courts by youngsters, men and women of all ages
• Genuine legends from across the globe [from Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, New Zealand to England]
• All 5 continental regions have produced both male and female world champions
• Global reach/increasing popularity in emerging markets [India, China/Hong Kong, Russia, Brazil...]
• Popular in countries which are not traditionally dominant at the Olympic Games [Egypt/ Malaysia/ Pakistan]
• Thriving, successful and well-established men’s and women’s tours
• Spanning every corner of the globe from Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa to Oceania
• Unique ability to showcase a host city with full glass courts and small physical footprint enables squash to showcase a host city like no other sport [Pyramids, Hong Kong Harbour etc]
• Easy and cost-effective to integrate into the Olympic Games with just 64 athletes, 2 competition courts and 5 day tournament schedule
• Already played in every major multi-sport games: Including the Commonwealth, Pan Am, Asian and World Games
• A first class anti-doping record, fully compliant with the WADA code – our record speaks for itself
• The Olympic Games would be the absolute pinnacle for athletes
• Squash personifies the essence of Olympic Sport: Gladiatorial, requiring peak physical fitness and chess like strategy to excel
• Squash is the “world’s healthiest sport” [Forbes Magazine] Spectators feel part of the action/see and hear everything up close
• It is the only racket sport where players share same space – ensuring unique flow/competitiveness
• Teaches young people about tactics and movement; played by young and old alike
• Squash – is driving growth & embracing change

§  Utilising latest broadcast technology

§  Electronic referee decision-making, video review and big-screen presentation of decisions

§  All-glass show courts, and glass floors adding a new dimension

§  World Squash Day [5 Nov] focus on attracting girls/women to squash

Do vote for Squash to be included in the Olympics 2020 here



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The other day I was at my local sports club playing squash, and at the end of the session, the instructor made a big deal out of cooling down so we "won’t be sore tomorrow." While it’s not the first time I’ve heard this advice, I always wonder where the instructors learn this bit of incorrect information. I know they all mean well, but there is now quite a bit of research that shows that a cool down after exercise doesn't prevent muscle soreness. That's not to say the cool down has no purpose, it's just that preventing soreness and speeding recovery isn't it.

A cool down often feels good, and the psychological relief of riding easy, or walking around after a tough workout, can do wonders for your mental well-being. But many well-designed studies found no amount of cool down will prevent muscle soreness after exercise. In fact, studies show that a proper warm up before exercise is more likely to reduce your post-exercise muscle soreness.

So does the cool down have any benefits? Well, yes, there is one major benefit: a few minutes of cooling down after maximal efforts can help prevent an athlete from feeling dizzy or possibly passing out. What this means is that you may not want to end your workout (or a spin class) with an all-out sprint, maximal effort or a tabata session and then jump off the bike and touch your toes. I once attended an exercise class where the instructor had us do just that. It's a risky move when you consider the varying fitness levels and health conditions that may be lurking in an exercise class. And for any athlete racing in competitions, it makes sense to keep moving around slowly for several minutes after you cross the finish line.

So far, the research has pretty well debunked the following so-called benefits of cooling down 

after exercise.

According to the current research, cooling down has little effect on:

• Reducing muscle soreness after exercise
• Aiding recovery
• Increasing flexibility
• Increasing strength gains
• Preventing injuries

The benefit of cooling down after hard exercise is mainly that it prevents the blood from pooling in the extremities after maximal efforts, which can cause dizziness and fainting. By exercising at a slower intensity for several minutes after a hard effort, sprint or maximal effort, you'll allow your circulatory system to gradually return to a resting state while maintaining proper blood pressure.

When an athlete faints or collapses after max efforts (or when crossing the finish line), the most common cause is stopping so suddenly that the blood pools in the extremities (usually the legs), and the brain is deprived of oxygen for a moment. It’s called postural hypotension, and is the same mechanism that causes you to feel dizzy if you stand up too quickly when you have low blood pressure. Other less likely culprits for dizziness include severe dehydration, a lack of sodium (hypernatremia), heat illness or heart attack — all of which are fairly rare.

The treatment for postural hypotension is to simply lay the person down, and raise her feet above her heart until the blood and oxygen get back to the brain. If that doesn't solve the problem, then something more serious could be going on, and medical help should be sought immediately.

Other common words of wisdom about the cool down say that it will help you will recover faster and prevent soreness. The idea that cooling down will reduce or prevent muscle soreness has not been found to be true with research. In fact, what has been discovered is that muscle soreness after exercise is caused by micro tears in the muscle fibers. Ironically, this is also how a muscle gets stronger. After the small tears are produced, the muscle tissue repairs and rebuilds itself (hypertrophy) and in doing so, gets bigger.

So by all means, continue to cool down after exercise if you like. Just understand what a cool down can and can not do for you.

PSA announces 2011 World Series line-up

The Professional Squash Association announced nine events that will comprise the top-tier PSA World Series calendar for 2011. 

The World Open, the 33rd edition of which will take place in Dutch city of Rotterdam from October 30 to November 6. 

The PSA World Series, launched this year, features events which have prize-funds upwards of USD 115,000. The events form a series throughout the year that will produce eight players who will compete in the PSA World Series Finals. 

Following the first two PSA World Series events of the year in the USA - the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York in January and the North American Open in Virginia in February - the Australian Open will celebrate its second year as a World Series event in Canberra, from August 8 to 14. 

The ROWE British Grand Prix, for the second year the biggest event to be held in England, will take place at the National Squash Centre in Manchester from September 19-25. 

The US Open, one of the oldest events in the world squash calendar, becomes a World Series event for the first time from September 30 to October 6 in Philadelphia. The championship returns to the largest city in Pennsylvania for the first time since 1993. 

The Qatar capital Doha becomes the focus of World Series activity from October 16-21 with the tenth staging of the Qatar Classic - which is followed by the 25th edition of the Hong Kong Open from November 15-20.


The Kuwait Open, from November 24-29, leads to the final World Series event of the year, the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters in India, from December 12-18. 

"We are delighted to have secured another great World Series line up for 2011," said PSA CEO Alex Gough of the year's elite programme of PSA events which boast a total prize-fund of USD 1,225,000. 

"The prize money is ever increasing and the standard of the events is improving all the time. Our event organizers have to be congratulated as we are looking at more and more commitment from them as we push the game forward in many areas," he added.

Full 2011 PSA World Series calendar: 
January 21-27: JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, New York, USA. 
February 20-26: North American Open, Richmond, Virginia, USA. 
August 8-14: Australian Open, Canberra, Australia. 
September 19-25: ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England. 
Sept 30-October 6: US Open, Philadelphia, USA 
October 16-21: Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar 
November 15-20: Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong 
November 24-29: Kuwait Open, Kuwait 
December 12-18: Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, India