 |
| The view greeting you when you fly in to Bermuda |
(Author's note: First published in November 2012)
Every November for the last five years, I have attended the Bermuda Squash Challenge. This year there were 64 amateur squash players from various countries around the world in attendance. The nations represented were the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, South Africa and Bermuda of course. It is never very hard for those that travel to enjoy everything the island has to offer. There is world class golf, sailing, snorkeling and diving; and at the end of one of these long hard days in the sun one can enjoy a nice refreshing 'dark and stormy' or two, or more.
One of the activities I look forward to is watching rugby. The Squash Challenge coincides each year with the World Rugby Classic and gives us the opportunity to watch a few of those matches after our squash has been played. This rugby tournament is the unofficial world cup competition for retired over thirty three year old rugby players. Australia and South Africa contested the finals this year. South Africa has won this Bermuda event many times before and has a proud rugby tradition. This year they lost in the finals for the first time to an Australian team that included players in their mid twenties who are in the prime of their playing careers. The difference in speed and fitness relative to the older guys was quite evident in the final. I guess the Aussies did not read the rule book. Or maybe they did. For years previously, Australia was not part of the tournament; this was their first win in Bermuda.
Aside from how it ended, this great camaraderie and national rivalry on the rugby pitch gave me an idea. Why does squash not have a competition like this? I mean, rugby has the Six Nations and the Heineken Cup (note: in 2024 it's called the Investec Champions Cup), and golf has the Ryder Cup. Each of these sporting events is phenomenally popular and both rugby and golf beat squash into the Olympics at the last vote in 2009, even though squash was the frontrunner from the prior IOC vote in 2005.
The Ryder Cup, particularly, is one of the greatest sports marketing ideas of all time. Today, nobody knows whether the American team or the European team will win that competition each time it is played. This golf tournament is one of the most unpredictable, finely balanced competitions in the world of sport. And nothing draws fans, the media and sponsors like the drama of knife-edge sporting competition. This uncertainty factor, combined with massive individual rivalries and obvious national pride are the key ingredients in that competition's success.
If squash ever wanted to truly be competitive relative to other global sports it needs to increase its spectator appeal. In fact, this single thing may be the most important decisive factor in May next year when the IOC Board vote on which of the seven shortlisted sports will be included in the Summer Olympics in 2020. So, let's say we have done enough for now and the sport does get voted into the Olympics next year, we still need to figure out how to ensure that squash is fit for TV viewing for the long term.
Aside from the Olympic competition itself, of course, one other way to increase spectator appeal may be to create a large team squash event and market it aggressively around the world. The world women's team championship was just held in France and it was very successful. It is one of the few times each year that world's best professionals are playing purely for national pride and not for ranking points or prize money. Last week Egypt beat England in a thrilling final that came down to the last points of the last game of the last match. If they were playing this match for an Olympic gold medal it would have made for great TV viewing. The event was highly anticipated and enjoyed by players and spectators alike. The men's world team competition last year in Germany was also an unbelievably close finish that would have made for excellent TV viewing - just watch this video of one of those matches to get an idea of how great team squash can be. For amateur players, World Squash Day on October 20th this year was played by 40,000 squash players around the world. It will go down in the Guinness Book of Records as the single biggest one day team competition ever. Congratulations to London's Alan Thatcher and everyone involved for coordinating this global squash match, it was no small feat and may just be what tips the scales for squash in the IOC vote next year.
The recent US Open squash tournament was a decent success and the IOC and TV networks were watching no doubt, with an eye on whether squash can be marketed and broadcast in a way that will make it a worthy inclusion in the Olympic program. The official visit by the IOC is during the Hong Kong Open pro tournament this week. IOC representatives will be there to get more data on the sport that will be used to evaluate whether squash is fit for Olympic inclusion. One can only hope that the organizers and players put on a great show and that there are not any antics that may give the IOC officials pause for concern. The new three ref system plus the option of video reviews has really gone a long way to remove the bickering that previously went on between players and referees over calls. The system is much fairer now and is conclusive in most instances, hence the players don't put up a fight like they used to. It makes the game flow better and makes it much easier to watch. Also, the slow-motion replays look great on TV. Expect to see many significant advances in the use of this type of technology in the next short while that will radically enhance the viewer experience.
Perhaps the sport will advance so quickly and get so popular that soon there will be a Ryder Cup of Squash? Clearly an American squash team would get crushed by a European squash team. But we could divide all the top squash players in the world in another manner, e.g. Europe versus rest of world, or perhaps according to those who are citizens of the Commonwealth and those who are not? And then you would need to limit the number of players from any given country to a maximum of (say) two men and two women (else it would be mostly just English and Egyptian players right?). The result is you'll have a very even team-based competition. If the invites go out based on the world rankings from last month this is what the two teams could look like:
There would be some incredible battles given how close many of these match ups are. So who would not want to see this little competition happen? The best part is that the overall team result is not a foregone conclusion at all and could quite easily go either way. And if the advances in technology come quickly enough (and they will) this type of event could make for awesome TV viewing. It could be a multiple day event with a few hours of programming each day. Broadcast networks like NBC, ESPN and Sky Sports may even show it live if the viewer numbers made it worth their while. Irrespective of whether we make it into the Olympics or not, someone really should try to make a big team event happen, even if only every other year (or every four years). I have no doubt squash fans around the world would love it.
Squash deserves to be in the Olympics and I sincerely hope that the tournament in Hong Kong this week showcases the sport in a favorable light and that the IOC decision makers are suitably impressed. We will get a sense of where we stand when the IOC discusses the findings of their reviews. This may happen as early as February next year.
(Author's note: Squash finally got voted into the Olympics for LA 2028 and a new team competition emerged on US soil called the NSL. Read about the sport's rocky path into the Olympics here and the new NSL team league here).
One of the activities I look forward to is watching rugby. The Squash Challenge coincides each year with the World Rugby Classic and gives us the opportunity to watch a few of those matches after our squash has been played. This rugby tournament is the unofficial world cup competition for retired over thirty three year old rugby players. Australia and South Africa contested the finals this year. South Africa has won this Bermuda event many times before and has a proud rugby tradition. This year they lost in the finals for the first time to an Australian team that included players in their mid twenties who are in the prime of their playing careers. The difference in speed and fitness relative to the older guys was quite evident in the final. I guess the Aussies did not read the rule book. Or maybe they did. For years previously, Australia was not part of the tournament; this was their first win in Bermuda.
Aside from how it ended, this great camaraderie and national rivalry on the rugby pitch gave me an idea. Why does squash not have a competition like this? I mean, rugby has the Six Nations and the Heineken Cup (note: in 2024 it's called the Investec Champions Cup), and golf has the Ryder Cup. Each of these sporting events is phenomenally popular and both rugby and golf beat squash into the Olympics at the last vote in 2009, even though squash was the frontrunner from the prior IOC vote in 2005.
The Ryder Cup, particularly, is one of the greatest sports marketing ideas of all time. Today, nobody knows whether the American team or the European team will win that competition each time it is played. This golf tournament is one of the most unpredictable, finely balanced competitions in the world of sport. And nothing draws fans, the media and sponsors like the drama of knife-edge sporting competition. This uncertainty factor, combined with massive individual rivalries and obvious national pride are the key ingredients in that competition's success.
If squash ever wanted to truly be competitive relative to other global sports it needs to increase its spectator appeal. In fact, this single thing may be the most important decisive factor in May next year when the IOC Board vote on which of the seven shortlisted sports will be included in the Summer Olympics in 2020. So, let's say we have done enough for now and the sport does get voted into the Olympics next year, we still need to figure out how to ensure that squash is fit for TV viewing for the long term.
Aside from the Olympic competition itself, of course, one other way to increase spectator appeal may be to create a large team squash event and market it aggressively around the world. The world women's team championship was just held in France and it was very successful. It is one of the few times each year that world's best professionals are playing purely for national pride and not for ranking points or prize money. Last week Egypt beat England in a thrilling final that came down to the last points of the last game of the last match. If they were playing this match for an Olympic gold medal it would have made for great TV viewing. The event was highly anticipated and enjoyed by players and spectators alike. The men's world team competition last year in Germany was also an unbelievably close finish that would have made for excellent TV viewing - just watch this video of one of those matches to get an idea of how great team squash can be. For amateur players, World Squash Day on October 20th this year was played by 40,000 squash players around the world. It will go down in the Guinness Book of Records as the single biggest one day team competition ever. Congratulations to London's Alan Thatcher and everyone involved for coordinating this global squash match, it was no small feat and may just be what tips the scales for squash in the IOC vote next year.
The recent US Open squash tournament was a decent success and the IOC and TV networks were watching no doubt, with an eye on whether squash can be marketed and broadcast in a way that will make it a worthy inclusion in the Olympic program. The official visit by the IOC is during the Hong Kong Open pro tournament this week. IOC representatives will be there to get more data on the sport that will be used to evaluate whether squash is fit for Olympic inclusion. One can only hope that the organizers and players put on a great show and that there are not any antics that may give the IOC officials pause for concern. The new three ref system plus the option of video reviews has really gone a long way to remove the bickering that previously went on between players and referees over calls. The system is much fairer now and is conclusive in most instances, hence the players don't put up a fight like they used to. It makes the game flow better and makes it much easier to watch. Also, the slow-motion replays look great on TV. Expect to see many significant advances in the use of this type of technology in the next short while that will radically enhance the viewer experience.
Perhaps the sport will advance so quickly and get so popular that soon there will be a Ryder Cup of Squash? Clearly an American squash team would get crushed by a European squash team. But we could divide all the top squash players in the world in another manner, e.g. Europe versus rest of world, or perhaps according to those who are citizens of the Commonwealth and those who are not? And then you would need to limit the number of players from any given country to a maximum of (say) two men and two women (else it would be mostly just English and Egyptian players right?). The result is you'll have a very even team-based competition. If the invites go out based on the world rankings from last month this is what the two teams could look like:
Team Commonwealth - Men
|
Rest of World Team - Men
| ||||||
1
|
James Willstrop
|
ENG
|
1
|
Ramy Ashour
|
EGY
| ||
2
|
Nick Matthew
|
ENG
|
2
|
Amr Shabana
|
EGY
| ||
3
|
Alister Walker
|
BOT
|
3
|
Gregory Gaultier
|
FRA
| ||
4
|
Cameron Pilley
|
AUS
|
4
|
Laurens Jan Anjema
|
NED
| ||
5
|
Ong Beng Hee
|
MAS
|
5
|
Borja Golan
|
SPA
| ||
6
|
Saurav Ghosal
|
IND
|
6
|
Simon Rosner
|
GER
| ||
7
|
Stephen Coppinger
|
RSA
|
7
|
Nicolas Mueller
|
SUI
| ||
8
|
Shahier Razik
|
CAN
|
8
|
Olli Tuominen
|
FIN
| ||
9
|
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan
|
MAS
|
9
|
Miguel Angel Rodriguez
|
COL
| ||
10
|
Ryan Cuskelly
|
AUS
|
10
|
Julian Illingworth
|
USA
| ||
Team Commonwealth - Women
|
Rest of World Team - Women
| ||||||
1
|
Nicol David
|
MAS
|
1
|
Raneem El Weleily
|
EGY
| ||
2
|
Laura Massaro
|
ENG
|
2
|
Madeline Perry
|
IRL
| ||
3
|
Jenny Duncalf
|
ENG
|
3
|
Annie Au
|
HKG
| ||
4
|
Kasey Brown
|
AUS
|
4
|
Nour El Sherbini
|
EGY
| ||
5
|
Low Wee Wern
|
MAS
|
5
|
Natalie Grinham
|
NED
| ||
6
|
Joelle King
|
NZL
|
6
|
Camille Serme
|
FRA
| ||
7
|
Rachel Grinham
|
AUS
|
7
|
Samantha Teran
|
MEX
| ||
8
|
Dipika Pallikal
|
IND
|
8
|
Joey Chan
|
HKG
| ||
9
|
Jaclyn Hawkes
|
NZL
|
9
|
Amanda Sobhy
|
USA
| ||
10
|
Sam Cornett
|
CAN
|
10
|
Aisling Blake
|
IRL
| ||
There would be some incredible battles given how close many of these match ups are. So who would not want to see this little competition happen? The best part is that the overall team result is not a foregone conclusion at all and could quite easily go either way. And if the advances in technology come quickly enough (and they will) this type of event could make for awesome TV viewing. It could be a multiple day event with a few hours of programming each day. Broadcast networks like NBC, ESPN and Sky Sports may even show it live if the viewer numbers made it worth their while. Irrespective of whether we make it into the Olympics or not, someone really should try to make a big team event happen, even if only every other year (or every four years). I have no doubt squash fans around the world would love it.
Squash deserves to be in the Olympics and I sincerely hope that the tournament in Hong Kong this week showcases the sport in a favorable light and that the IOC decision makers are suitably impressed. We will get a sense of where we stand when the IOC discusses the findings of their reviews. This may happen as early as February next year.
(Author's note: Squash finally got voted into the Olympics for LA 2028 and a new team competition emerged on US soil called the NSL. Read about the sport's rocky path into the Olympics here and the new NSL team league here).
 |
| Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson on the 8th at Port Royal in Bermuda |
