Glass Court Usage Grows As Squash Reaches Out by Howard Harding (Hong Kong waterfront image courtesy of SquashPics.com)
21 August 2015
- The staging of next month's International Masters Squash Open in
Orlando, USA, highlights the growing use of all-glass squash courts by
event promoters around the world.
The new event, which has attracted wide
interest from the worldwide Masters fraternity, will be staged on a
four-glass-walled court erected alongside the Orlando Eye at i-Drive
360, Orlando's new $250 million entertainment destination which
attracts more than 120,000 visitors per week (see artist's impression
below).
The Orlando Masters is the latest
international squash event to exploit the multiple benefits of using a
portable all-glass court which can be erected almost anywhere - not
only providing greater spectator access and enhanced broadcast
potential, but also the unique opportunity to showcase a location or
city.
"Glass courts have revolutionised the
presentation of our events to the point that we are no longer limited
to conventional squash facilities as we were in the past," said World
Squash Federation President N Ramachandran.
"One of the first such presentations, with
the court alongside the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, made headline
news around the world - since when we have seen glass courts in the
main square in Seoul in South Korea; overlooking the waterfront in Hong
Kong (pictured above); by the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco;
and on the Bund waterfront in Shanghai - all spectacular settings.
"Furthermore, there is a large array of
inside options from arenas to other exciting sites. We have taken
squash into Frankfurt airport, New York's Grand Central Terminal as
well as some of world's biggest shopping malls (see picture below).
"There are various iconic locations in
Tokyo where television and still images of a state-of-the-art all-glass
court showcasing the Japan capital would be seen around the globe
should squash join the 2020 Olympic Games programme.
"Whether courts are located inside or out,
innovations such as sidewall entry that enhances broadcast still
further, LED out-of-court lines, cool air ducting, SquashTV production
and general presentation, have ensured that squash can now be
considered a mainstream media sport," added Ramachandran.
