US Reportedly Joins Canada and Four Other Nations in Backing Out of World Men's Teams by Ted Gross December 1, 2015
- US Squash announced Tuesday that it was pulling its players from the
December 11th-18th Men's World Team Championships in
Cairo, Egypt.
Also apparently backing out of the event are England, Canada, France, Finland, Germany and possibly Australia.
Both US Squash and England Squash cited security concerns.
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The US men's team was comprised of Chris Gordon, Todd Harrity, Chris Hanson and Faraz Khan.
England Squash CEO Keir Worth said a review of security plans for the
event led to the conclusion that there is an inherent risk that has not
been mitigated to an acceptable level.
The World Squash Federation, in a responding statement, said the
decisions are both disappointing and somewhat difficult to understand,
and vowed that the event will proceed despite the withdrawals.
The loss of defending men's world champion England, in particular, punctuates a tumultuous two days for professional squash.
On Monday, in a story first broken by Squash Mad, the Women's World
Individuals, scheduled to begin December 14th in Malaysia, were apparently cancelled.
The tournament promoter Hallmark Events Group reportedly cited
security concerns, amidst speculation of sponsorship issues.
The PSA announced Tuesday they are looking into the situation and have appointed a consultant to conduct a review.
