Squash: Making a case for 2016

Olympic fans might have to brush up on some new sports or they might rejoice at the return of some familiar ones as the International Olympic Committee's executive board meets this week in Berlin to analyze bids from seven sports vying for a spot on the docket at the 2016 Olympic Games.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said Friday in published reports that a review of seven sports --- baseball, golf, karate, rugby sevens, roller sports, softball and squash --- will take place Thursday at a board meeting before the opening ceremony at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin.

The IOC will vote on Oct. 9 for a maximum of two sports to be added to the Games at the 121^st IOC Session and XIII Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Softball and baseball had been part of the Olympic Games but were hit with a huge curveball in 2005 when the IOC voted to exclude the sports for the London 2012 Games. Both sports were part of the Olympic program last summer in Beijing. Golf was an Olympic sport once, back in 1904 in St. Louis.

Rugby sevens, squash, karate, golf and roller sports made bids to become Olympic sports back in 2005 but none of them earned required two-thirds majority vote. This time around, only a simple majority is required.

Today, we examine each of these sports as the vote for their inclusion approaches. 

USA Squash CEO Kevin Klipstein often thinks of this image: It's a warm summer day in downtown Chicago and the usual bustle of people is buzzing around Michigan Avenue. In Pioneer Plaza, right beneath the towering Tribune and Wrigley buildings, a cheer breaks out. In the middle is a glass-walled squash court with the world's top players battling out for Olympic gold.

 That could be the reality in 2016. And whether it would be in Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo, and whether it was being played in traditional gymnasium or somewhere iconic, well, "It would be a nice issue to have to think about,'' Klipstein said.

After narrowly missing out on inclusion into the 2012 London Olympic Games, the squash community worldwide likes its chances at getting in 2016.

Seven sports are vying for two openings in the 2016 Games-squash, baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens and softball. The IOC's executive committee will recommend two sports for possible inclusion onto the 2016 docket when it meets in Berlin beginning August 13, and all of the International Olympic Committee members will vote October 2 at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"I think (we compare) very favorably,'' Klipstein said. "We can't really think of any negatives against the sport. It's really just a question of continuing to reinforce our message: That (the Olympic Games) would be the No. 1 most important competition, that we are very broad in reach around the world and we are very diverse in that more than 150 countries play.

"The sport has been around for over 150 years too, and there are clear signs of growth, particularly here in the U.S."

The message partially worked when the IOC members voted on the 2012 Olympic program; squash finished first, but it did not get the two-thirds super majority needed to get in. This time around, the sport just needs just the majority of votes.

"I think it has quite a strong chance at getting in," said Julian Illingworth, the top American male squash player. "It was relatively close to getting into 2012 when they voted four years ago, and I think the World Squash Federation is doing a better job this time of showcasing the sport and telling the IOC why squash should get into the Olympics."

Among the sport's merits:

The top squash players around the world signed a pledge to compete at the Olympic Games if selected, so it would be the pinnacle of the sport, something baseball and golf could not say.

• More than 20 million people in 175 countries play squash, including countries that don't traditionally produce Olympic medalists like Egypt and Malaysia, (also where the most recent world champions are from).
• No permanent infrastructure would have to be built, keeping the costs down and making sure the sport doesn't leave a white elephant in the host city.

"When compared to the criteria put out by the IOC, we match up to it perfectly," Klipstein said.

"I truly believe in our sport," added Natalie Grainger, the top-ranked American female who also is very active in promoting the Olympic ambition. "Obviously now softball and baseball have been added to that list, but I really think that we've got the best chance because we are a truly global sport, we play both men and women, and the big thing these days is we aren't going to cost a lot of money."

If squash is included, the WSF plans to sponsor the two glass courts and donate them to the host country's federation after the games, thus leaving no footprint.

"I think it's what the IOC is looking for --- having exciting, younger sports in the Olympic Games," Grainger said. "In addition to that we are a very traditional sport with a lot of history."

Squash sometimes carries a stigma in the United States as being a "country club" sport. But those involved with USA Squash will quickly tell you that the sport's reputation is changing, and that it's not like that around the world.

"I think, similar to golf and tennis 20 years ago,'' Klipstein said. "Squash is emerging as an accessible sport for everyone. So I think if you asked someone 30 years ago about tennis they would have said the same thing. And look at tennis today."

Klipstein references urban squash programs in cities like Harlem and the Bronx, N.Y., north Philadelphia, Palo Alto, Calif., and Chicago as evidence that the sport is growing, and not just in health clubs.

"There are programs all over the country focused on introducing squash to new audiences," he said. "And it's usually popular. Some of our biggest national tournaments are among these urban squash programs."

Around the world, a live squash match can sometimes attract thousands of spectators.

"In Malaysia, Nicol David, the No. 1 female player, is a celebrity and literally on the scale of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods in the U.S.," Klipstein said. "So in certain parts of the world, their squash stars are truly celebrities, and that's just a function of a higher level of awareness of the sport in those countries and a higher level of participation in those countries."

One of the greatest things squash has going for it is the glass court. The glass on the court is specially tinted from the inside so the athletes aren't distracted by their surroundings, similar to a one-way mirror. Then the fans can sit on all four sides of the court and be right next to the action.

They throw up a glass court and they can put it anywhere," Illingworth said.

They've already held a tournament at Pioneer Plaza in Chicago. The Tournament of Champions each year is held inside Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Perhaps the most famous venue for squash was right in front of the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt.

"It's exciting especially in person, and you are never going to get better then that," Illingworth said. "The glass court is amazing, just to be able to see it from any angle and to be able to put it anywhere."

One of the few questions about squash's viability is how it translates to TV. With a fast pace and a small ball, it can be hard to follow the action on the screen.

"In the past it hasn't translated to TV very well, but I've seen squash on High Definition, and on HD it's actually very watchable," Illingworth said. "It's sort of a little bit like hockey in that sometimes when you are watching hockey you aren't really sure where the puck is, so it has similar challenges as hockey does, just that the object is so small ...

"But it's just going to get better and better on TV, which was one of the stumbling blocks for getting it in the Olympics earlier."

Getting into the Olympics is seen as the needed big step for squash to take hold in the United States.

"I think the big thing for us is that if we make it into the Olympic Games and we become an Olympic sport, I think squash here will just boom," Grainger said. "Right now it is kind of a quirky sport. If it were an Olympic sport people would just know about it and be interested in it and just seek it out themselves."

Granger (2), Illingworth (34) and Latasha Khan (30) are the only Americans ranked in the top 40 worldwide right now, but the competition structure in the United States is very broad and youth competitions continue to grow.

"By 2016 we will be extremely competitive internationally, meaning we will have strong potential to win gold medals," Klipstein said. "Therefore, I think that also creates real interest."

Whether any of those three Americans still will be competing in 2016 remains to be seen, but if the sport is added to the Olympic program it definitely will make it harder for them to retire.

"Obviously the dream, the hope is that squash gets into the Olympics," Illingworth said. "If it did make it into the Olympics by 2016, I'd be pretty old by then, but I think that is the goal of all professional squash players is to play in the Olympic Games."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Chrös McDougall is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.