Created in 2001, World Squash Day returns this Saturday. A big day of celebration for the squash community, already spoiled with the prospect of its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028. On this occasion, World Squash CEO William Louis-Marie spoke about the latest news in his sport. Francs Jeux.
World Squash Day returns on Saturday. Why is it an important event?
There are always sporting events, where the best athletes meet, but we have an extremely active community all over the world. It's the clubs that keep us alive, we need to promote them, help them grow, and live well. The best way to do this is to celebrate our sport in the run-up to the Los Angeles Games, by making sure the clubs are full during this weekend with regulars as well as new players. Squash is a fun sport, we want people to have a good time. With Squash 57, we also have a much simpler version, with a bigger ball and a wider racket, which means we can adapt to all ages and profiles. Our community is very active and is looking for opportunities to celebrate their passion for squash.
The federation has changed a lot in recent months: new name, new logo, new website... Why undertake all these changes?
It's a logical evolution. With the election of Zena Wooldridge in 2020, there was a desire to implement a strategy including areas for improvement such as the website and logo, which allowed us to give more visibility to our sport. We continue today with a ranking for the best juniors to promote the next generation, a partnership with the World Academy of Sport to develop a learning platform for coaches, etc. We have laid the foundations to be able to build the next stages of the rocket that will take us to Los Angeles in the best possible conditions.
What is the status of your discussions with Brisbane 2032 regarding inclusion in the programme for the next edition?
There's a first phase until December, where Brisbane will shortlist sports, and the final decision is expected next summer. It's going to happen very quickly. We're at the Los Angeles Games, but we won't be able to rely on that to keep us. There's a very transparent, very well-documented process; it's similar to what we experienced for Los Angeles. We've taken into account the framework in which it's going to happen and are working accordingly.
Do you feel they are receptive?
For now, they are gathering information in a very neutral manner. The framework is clear and cooperative. All federations are on the same starting line.
Faced with this competition, what can squash offer?
Our sport is easy to set up; all you need is a glass court, which can be placed anywhere. No need for a permanent facility. We have a small number of athletes, so it doesn't have a huge impact on the quota set by the IOC. We have a real universality in the players who participate: if you take the world's top 10 men's and women's, all five continents are represented. We have the support of Comcast for the Los Angeles Games as the title partner of our event venue, which shows great confidence from the IOC's partners. We have the qualities, and we're working collaboratively with the professional league and Squash Australia to present a dossier that is as relevant as possible to the Brisbane 2032 framework.
As you mentioned, your competition site in Los Angeles will be quite unusual.
Yes, we worked with the Los Angeles organizing committee to find out where to put this glass court, to promote our sport. After many discussions, the possibility of going to Universal Studios arose. It's fantastic to be able to showcase an iconic location in the capital of cinema, the place where Back to the Future ou GremlinsThe magic of our sport is that you can put a squash court anywhere and enhance the city in question.
With less than three years to go, what is World Squash working on for Los Angeles 2028?
We have a lot of work to do with the IOC on the qualification program. We need to raise the standard of our events to bring them closer to the Olympic Games. We're also working a lot with US Squash and the PSA. (the Professional Squash Association, editor's note) to standardize our approach, continue to increase the exposure of our sport in the next three years, and promote our exceptional athletes. When we arrive at the Los Angeles Games, may it be an astonishing spectacle for all those who will be there but also for those who will be watching on their screens. We are confident because if we were chosen by Los Angeles, it is because we have real potential to bring something different.
