Squash Magazine: 2016 Olympic Flame Doused

2016 Olympic Flame Doused! Some comments from squash players and administrators September 2009

Julian Illingworth, US No. 1 and PSA World No. 33: "Obviously disappointing for squash as a whole not making the Olympics for 2016. It would have certainly given squash a breakthrough in elite funding as well as being a great boost in the way our sport is perceived by the outside world, as well as how sponsors look at the sport. I would have been 32 in 2016 so a little old but clearly it would have been a great goal to train for and hold out until. So personally it is frustrating to know the Olympics is not a realistic dream for me any longer, unless I take up Curling or Skeleton after squash. Golf and Rugby are obviously both great sports and certainly bring more television viewers to the Olympics. Its frustrating to think though that the Olympics have come to this point where that is one of most important factors the IOC has to consider. With the PGA championships going on as the IOC announcement was made, I watched much of the championships on TV and didn't hear the golf announcers or any of the players interviewed even mention the fact that Golf was almost assured to be in. That sort of summed it up for me, clearly Olympic golf is never going to be the main priority for those guys." Alex Gough, CEO of PSA: "The IOC Executive Board's decision not to put Squash forward as one of the two sports for consideration by the IOC Congress is obviously a massive disappointment. In hindsight the decision can be viewed as a purely commercial one and one in which we would have always found it hard to compete. That said, I am very proud of what the 'Squash Family' was able to achieve in the final 7 or 8 months of the campaign. The whole sport became galvanized behind the efforts of WSF. There was a lot of catching up to do on the other sports and despite the apparent voting numbers I feel we sold ourselves in a very positive way. Our sport is second to none when it comes the criteria that the IOC set out and the feedback from many arenas, prior to the vote, was that Squash should be in the Olympic program for 2016. It is just unfortunate the IOC Executive Board were not in agreement with public sentiment. We now have to dust ourselves off and plough ahead with plans to put Squash more in the public eye. We need to sell ourselves as professionally as we can at every opportunity. The plans that the PSA are putting together will hopefully begin to address the media figures and exposure that we obviously need in order to be more competitive in the sporting world. In the coming weeks we have some important announcements that we are excited about for 2010 onwards. Luckily for us, success is not all about the Olympics and we are hopefully autonomous enough to control our own destiny." Natalie Grainger, WISPA World No. 3 "The IOC's decision is incredibly disappointing for squash, but we have to refocus as a sport and understand that hope and glory come second to commercial value. There are many people that did so much for this Olympic Bid, the World Squash Movement in the United States in particular worked tirelessly to raise funds for the WSF, organised the biggest squash gathering on World Squash Day at the Apawamis Club in Rye, NY and then produced a book incorporating pictures from all over the world from World Squash Day for the Executive Board of the IOC. In addition WSM partnered with Harrow, which printed and shipped huge numbers of 2016 shirts and were incredibly helpful with the stand at Sport Accord in Denver. Vineyard Vines produced many 2016 items that were used at both Sport Accord and the presentations to the IOC. I would like to thank all those people that gave so generously to the Bid. Squash will have its day, and the professional associations and the WSF are committed to this cause. I am positive as it is the only way to be—if we are to gain Olympic inclusion we need to be something they want, not the other way around. I am positive because I believe in squash, and I believe that we have some great people involved that can make that happen. Still a gutter—and I put my heart and soul into this campaign. It was better than ever before, but we need to do more; we have to be more organised and the organisations need to be galvanised to pull in the same direction at all times—the same message for the whole sport." Andrew Shelley, Executive Director of WISPA "The Olympic Games are a business. We cannot compete with income options that sports such as rugby and golf can offer. But we tick all the boxes that are the pronounced ethos of the Olympic games so we must continue to enjoy and grow our great sport and hope that our credentials bring us back into consideration when the Olympics revert to sports where the Games will be the pinnacle for their players." Sarah Fitz-Gerald, former WISPA World No. 1 "Terribly disappointing for squash. Unfortunately we have to start again and look towards 2020. No doubt the sport has learnt a lot from the experience and will use this knowledge to improve our standing, position and presentation for 2020." John Nimick, CEO of Event Engine "While inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games would have boosted squash on many levels, the sport is already evolving on a global basis due to its great fitness and enjoyment qualities. Pro squash is poised for a breakthrough and those in a position to advance the shop window of the sport now know it will only be through our own efforts that squash will attract new players, fans and viewers."

2016 Olympic Flame Doused!