Stars Staying Positive For Olympic Announcement by Sarah Gormley September 2, 2013 - Twice world champion Nick Matthew is keeping everything crossed ahead of one of the most momentous days in squash history. The Sheffield born
star, like the rest of the global squash community, is counting down to
September 8th when the International Olympic Committee will decide
which of squash, wrestling and softball/baseball will be admitted to
the Olympic programme for the 2020 Games. Matthew, who is
bidding for a hat-trick of titles at the AJ Bell World Squash
Championship in Manchester (October 26th -November 3rd), is certainly
hopeful of a positive verdict from the meeting in Buenos Aires. "The sport appears to
be enjoying a surge in popularity which is down to the hard work of a
lot of different people," says the newly married Yorkshire born racket
master. "London 2012 was a big low to the sport because it rammed home we weren't an Olympic sport. "But in a strange way it gave our bid more exposure because I think many people just assumed squash was already in the Games. "So, there was a momentum built up from people wanting to see a sport like squash in the Olympics. "As I said, I believe the sport is on the crest of a wave and hopefully we can carry on with the momentum." Essex star Peter
Barker, a semi-finalist at the 2011 World Championships and a winner of
the Colombian Open this summer, is also on tenterhooks ahead of
September 8th. "I really believe
squash deserves to be an Olympic sport," says Barker who recently
became a dad for the first time. "But in life you don't always get what
you deserve. "The sport is in
really good shape and has been for a few years. So, it's not the be-all
and end-all if the vote goes against us. "But it would certainly complete the sport and complete everyone's wishes if we get the nomination in Buenos Aires. "We're up against a few other well supported sports but I am staying optimistic." Squash, making a third
attempt for Games inclusion, made the shortlist back in May when
karate, wakeboarding, roller sports, climbing and wushu were all cast
adrift.
"Recognition as an
Olympic sport would accelerate the growth plans we're making," says
Alex Gough, Chief Executive of the Professional Squash Association. "If we are included in the 2020 Olympics, we'd expect investment in the sport to double within the next three to four years." Closer to home,
Matthew and Barker also have a keen interest in another important event
happening next week. The main draw for the AJ Bell World Squash
Championship, will be made on Thursday, September 5th so stay tuned for
news live via our twitter stream @mwsc2013 There is also an
eight-player, wild card event taking place at the National Squash
Centre, Sportcity, Manchester on September 3th-4th. The winner will have
his name added to the while the runner up and third placed player
will take a local spot in qualifying. The AJ Bell
World Squash Championship takes place from October 26 to November 3,
with the quarter-finals onwards hosted at the internationally known,
Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex).The tournament forms part of UK
Sport's Gold Events series and tickets are now available from
Ticketmaster by ringing 0844 847 2508 or visiting
www.AJBellworldsquashchamps.co.uk For more information contact - team@treecommunications.co.uk or +44 (0)161 850 0012 AJ Bell World Squash Championship: 26th October to 3rd November 2013 This will be the
second time Manchester has played host to the event; the first being
during the World Sport 2008 series of events that were a legacy from
the Commonwealth Games in 2002. The heat stage of the
event will be held at the National Squash Centre, Sport City with the
final weekend at Manchester Central. Tickets are now on sale
phone 0844 847 2508 or visit the website at
www.AJBellworldsquashchamps.co.uk AJ Bell was formed in
1995 and is one of the largest providers of low cost, online investment
platforms and stockbroker services in the UK, with assets under
administration exceeding £19.3 billion and more than 78,000 clients. AJ Bell is owned by its management team and two institutional investors in Invesco Perpetual and Miton Group plc. AJ Bell's customer
proposition – Market leading, low cost, transparent, service, value,
choice, leading functionality, integrity, award winning. AJ Bell's business –
Helps people to invest, market leaders, growing, innovative,
profitable, don’t provide advice or investment management. Manchester continues
to strengthen its impressive reputation for attracting major
international sports championships. In 2012, the City was named
5th in the Ultimate Sports City List, and No.1 city with a population
of under one million. In 2013 Manchester will host several major
sports events, including the Men’s World Squash Championship, the Rugby
League World Cup Final, NBA Europe Live and the UCI BMX Supercross
World Cup. These events raise the city's global sporting profile,
whilst bringing long-term social and economic benefits to Manchester
and its residents. The City's excellent range of accessible sports
venues and facilities, combined with its school and community sports
development programmes, provide the springboard for Manchester's
sporting stars of the future. Visit www.manchester.gov.uk/sportsevents for more information. England Squash & Racketball
is the national governing body, responsible for the development and
promotion from grass roots to elite performance. Nearly 500,000
people play squash on a regular basis and ESR promotes squash and
racketball with national campaigns around the country, junior
development and also leading international tournaments such as the
British Junior Open, British Open and PSA World Men’s Championship in
2013. Sport can make lives better for individuals, families and
whole communities and through the Squash and Racketball Foundation,
there is the chance to play squash and racketball at the heart of their
community. The Big Hit
is a national campaign by England Squash & Racketball running
throughout 2013 to encourage more people to get involved and play
squash and racketball both for fun and fitness. The Big Hit Tour
visits 10 cities across the year including Manchester, Birmingham and
London giving you the chance to try squash and racketball for
free. Thebighit.net website is the place to go to find your
nearest session and get all of the latest news and special offers. UK Sport UK Sport’s Gold Event
Series distributes approximately £5 million of Lottery funding each
year to support the bidding and staging costs of major events on home
soil, as well as providing specialist support to organisers. Events are
supported for their likely performance impact, but also to maximise the
wider sporting, social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits. The Gold Event Series
will aim to bring over 70 of the world’s most prestigious sporting
events to the UK, including 36 World and European Championships. This
ambitious programme will support British athletes’ preparation and
qualification for Rio 2016, while generating approximately £287 million
of additional expenditure in host cities and regions and bringing over
250,000 overseas visitors to the UK. Events already secured include
2017 World Athletics Championships and 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics
Championships. More @ www.uksport.gov.uk/events PSA The Professional
Squash Association (PSA) promotes the interests of men’s professional
squash globally. The PSA’s aim is to advance the game by ensuring that
the PSA World Tour is the ultimate showcase of the sport’s pinnacle
events. The PSA have over 500 members worldwide and stage more than 120
events across five continents. The PSA’s vision is that squash is
recognised as the most athletic, demanding and exciting racket sport in
the world. Squash TV is the PSA’s online squash channel broadcasting over 300 live matches in 2012. Watch PSA squash Live on the Internet: www.psasquashtv.com For more information
regarding the PSA, please visit: www.psaworldtour.com or follow the PSA
on Twitter: www.twitter.com/psaworldtour
