President & World No1 Lead IOC Squash Presentation from WSF Media
17 December 2012
- World Squash Federation (WSF) President N Ramachandran and men's
world number one James Willstrop will lead this week's delegation to
the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne where the sport will
present its bid to join the programme for the 2020 Olympic Games.
After unsuccessful attempts to be selected for both the 2012 and 2016
Games, Squash has consolidated a variety of initiatives which the WSF
will present to the IOC Programme Commission on Wednesday.
The presentation follows the IOC 'inspection' visit to Hong Kong
earlier this month where the final stages of the 27th edition of the
Hong Kong Open were staged in spectacular style on an all-glass
showcourt sited at the Cultural Centre Piazza overlooking the
waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsui.
"This is an important milestone for Squash's ambition to join the
Olympic Games Sports Programme," said President Ramachandran. "The
presentation team is looking forward to demonstrating to the IOC
Programme Commission how we have listened and learnt since our last
bid, the innovations that have been introduced into Squash over the
last few seasons, and what Squash can bring to the Olympic Movement if
we are successful in our campaign."
Ramachandran and Willstrop will be joined in the presentation party by WSF CEO Andrew Shelley and Mexican Reyna Pacheco.
Tijuana-born 18-year-old Pacheco, now a freshman at Columbia
University, arrived in the US as an illegal immigrant, aged four. Her
troubled life was 'totally transformed' when she discovered squash at
an urban initiative in San Diego, where she rapidly became the best
junior in the programme.