Squash stronghold Egypt celebrates sport's inclusion in 2028 Olympic Games

MUMBAI – Squash stronghold Egypt celebrated on Monday the sport’s

first-time inclusion in the Olympics,

raising hopes of winning some gold medals but the head of the country’s federation warned against excessive optimism.

Squash, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, baseball and softball have been added to the Los Angeles 2028 programme after being approved by the International Olympic Committee as it looks to tap into new global audiences.

“I’m super happy and excited that we finally made it to the Olympics,” Nour El Sherbini, ranked No. 1 in the world in women’s squash, said in a video posted on Facebook.

“I have been always dreaming to play in the Olympics Games and have finally made it. Congratulations to everyone and all the squash players and fans. See you in the Olympics.”

For his part, Egyptian Mostafa Assal, ranked third in the world in the men’s competition, wrote on Facebook: “Farewell to the phrase ‘Squash is not an Olympic game’.

“Thanks, God, for squash’s entry into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

Egypt dominates squash, with five players currently in the top 10 in the men’s world rankings, in addition to Egyptian brothers Mohamed and Marwan El Shorbagy, who decided to switch allegiance to England.

Egypt also hold the top three positions in the women’s rankings, in addition to a fourth player among the top 10.

The country’s squash federation celebrated the decision to include the sport in the Olympics on its website.

But Assem Khalifa, president of the federation, said the task will not be easy.

“The decision makes squash an Olympic game in the 2028 edition only and, after that, the existence of the game will be evaluated again,” he told local media.

“Therefore, the game must participate successfully, and its existence be proven. Then we wait for the new decision after the 2028 Olympics.

“We hope to achieve more than one gold medal, but this decision will certainly increase other countries’ interest in the game,” he added.

“We would be wrong if we felt that we were guaranteed a gold medal at the Olympics.

“We must be extremely prepared to achieve the maximum possible.”

Squash had long pushed for inclusion, most recently in 2013 for the 2020 Olympics, and the milestone was hailed by World Squash Federation president Zena Wooldridge, who said: “Squash is an amazingly dynamic, diverse and demanding sport that is perfectly suited for the Olympic Games.”

Two events, the men and women’s singles, will be contested at the LA Games.

REUTERS