Wed Oct 14th 2009

Sat Sept 19th 2009

May 1st 2009

Find out more about their trip from the interview in todays (3rd Oct) Bermuda Sun

The RUBiS Divisional Handicap Championships is also making the headlines. Click here to check out the write up… 

Entries close on May 10th for this year’s World Distributors Bermuda Tire Charity Squash Tournament, supporting The Bermuda Diabetes Association.

World Distributors Bermuda Tire Charity Squash Tournament 2008 – Entry Form

Following extensive global campaigning by the World Squash Federation since the sport narrowly missed out …

being added to the London 2012 programme, the WSF has received news from the IOC that Squash has been included on the shortlist of sports under consideration for the 2016 Olympic Games.

In a letter to Jahangir Khan, IOC Sports Director Christophe Dubi congratulated and thanked the WSF President “most sincerely for the tremendous work you accomplished in order to complete the questionnaire for IOC Recognised International Federations”.

Squash has been selected along with Baseball, Golf, Karate, Roller Sports, Rugby and Softball.

Played by around 15 million enthusiasts on all five continents, Squash has been vigorously campaigning to join the Olympic Games programme for many years.

In 2005, Squash was voted into the London 2012 Olympic Games ahead of Karate, Roller Sports, Rugby and Golf – but then failed to achieve the two-thirds majority required to become ratified as an Olympic sport.

“I am confident that the reason why Squash was chosen ahead of other sports in 2005 is down to its image as an intensely athletic, healthy, universal, inclusive and exciting world sport,” said the WSF President. “This image is the result of decades of positive development.”

Khan was delighted to receive the IOC letter, only days after being the final torchbearer in the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in Islamabad, the capital of his home country Pakistan.

“This is truly excellent news for our sport,” said one of the sport’s most distinguished players, with six World Open titles and record ten British Open trophies to his name. “We will be working very hard to convince the IOC that Squash deserves a place on the Olympic Programme.”

Following the 2005 IOC meeting in Singapore, the WSF lobbied for a change in the Olympic charter which would reduce from two-thirds to a simple majority the voting policy for ratification as an Olympic sport – thus aligning the threshold with the existing policy for Olympic sports. This decision was duly taken at the IOC session in Guatemala in July 2007.

Squash presents a compelling case for inclusion on the Olympic Programme after experiencing significant global growth since being voted the No1 sport at the 2005 IOC Session in Singapore:

Squash is primarily a ‘participant sport’, as the vast majority of people associated with it actually play, leading to real health/recreational benefits to society

The sport is played by an estimated 15 million people in over 155 countries – with more than a quarter million registered athletes, plus over 600 professional athletes.

Juniors are an area of rapid growth: The 2008 World Men’s Junior Championships in Switzerland boast a record entry. The WSF has not only recently decided to make its World Junior Championships an annual event due to demand, but will also create a new Juniors Committee and a global ranking system. The flourishing European Junior Circuit featured 20 tournaments in 17 different countries in the 2006/07 season, with a record number of entries.

Squash enjoys a solid spread of talent: All continents were represented in the top six positions at the 2007 World Men’s Team Championship and top 11 at the World Women’s Team Championship in 2006.

The WSF now has 138 Member Nation Federations (up from 125 in 2004) and more than 80% of all MNFs organise an Annual National Championship across gender and all age groups

Women account for approximately 30% of all recreational players and 37% of professional athletes. Furthermore the WSF board boasts a 60/40 male/female breakdown.

The sport is played in over 20 multi-sport Games including the World Games, All-Africa Games, Asian Games, Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games (in which it has been named as a ‘core sport’), World University Championships and World Masters Games. This compares to just two events in 1991!

Squash is also a “high value” sport for Organising Committees as facilities required for an Olympic event are both economical and temporary.
TV production technology has developed positively in the past few years – and Squash is now regularly featured on TV in more than 125 countries across all continents

Web streaming has taken off over the past three years: The last two World Championships each reached audiences in over 75 countries while PSALIVE.tv has over 30,000 paid subscribers in only two years of operation

This major annual junior tournament will include at least 8 teams from Caribbean countries, including Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman, Guyana, Jamaica, OECS, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Director and Secretary of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation, David Lang, explains, “Bank of Bermuda Foundation is pleased to be title sponsor of the 2008 Bermuda Junior CASA Championships. We recognise sport as a vital element in the all-round development of Bermuda’s young people. Bermuda is brimming with talented young athletes and we see this tournament as a great opportunity for the Island’s junior squash players to showcase their skills here at home while developing their confidence and athletic ability as they compete with their peers from throughout the Caribbean.”

Ross Triffitt, Director of Squash, says, “We are delighted to have the Bank of Bermuda Foundation as title sponsors for this prestigious tournament. The Bank of Bermuda Foundation are strong supporters of our junior squash programme, having sponsored the Bermuda Junior Open Squash Championship since its inception 5 years ago. The Bermuda Junior Open has been held at the same time as the major PSA squash tournaments, and has successfully attracted strong young players from abroad to compete against our local juniors and provide them with opportunities to gain valuable international experience on home turf. The Foundation’s generous sponsorship of the 2008 Junior CASA Championships is a great boost to our local squash programme which continues to grow from strength to strength.”

Although Bermuda is one of the smallest countries competing in Caribbean squash, Bermuda’s Juniors performed exceptionally well in last years Junior CASA, held in the British Virgin Islands, when the Girls Team finished 2nd overall, and the Boys Team finished 3rd. Hosting the championships lends a slight advantage to the home country so Bermuda will be looking for an improvement on last year’s results.

But that is not the only benefit of holding the 2008 Junior CASA Championships in Bermuda. As Ross Triffitt explains, “Hosting Junior CASA in Bermuda brings the very best youngsters from all over the Caribbean to the Island, giving our own juniors the incentive to compete for places on the team and to support their team members. All of our juniors, including players on the fringes of getting into our National Team, enjoy a unique opportunity to meet young people from all backgrounds who are keen on the sport. It is this kind of exposure to exciting international competition that helps to raise our standards and keeps our youngsters excited about squash. Many of the visiting players are hosted by local families and this encourages everyone involved to form lasting bonds of friendship throughout the Caribbean.”

Each country will be sending up to 14 players – comprising a Boys Team and a Girls Team, each numbering 7, including two Under 19’s, one Under 17, one Under 15, one Under 13, and two reserves. The Championships include both individual and team events, and as hosts, Bermuda can enter additional players in individual competition. However, to encourage maximum international participation, Bermuda is extending this opportunity to all countries.

The BSRA is proud of its highly successful junior squash programme which has experienced a 10% growth in the last 12 months, with a total of more than 6,000 schoolchildren’s visits to the club and approximately 200 children playing on a regular weekly basis.

Pictured: David Lang of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation with some of the BSRA Juniors.

The tournament is to be held in Kingston, Jamaica on August 10-19th. Any players wishing to be included in the selection play-offs (to be held June 15th) should let Denise Sommers know.

Players currently challenging for the team are:

Men’s Team (5 + 1 reserve) Patrick Foster, Nick Kyme, Mel Caines, Michael Shrubb, Henri Hanekom & Richard Van Liendon

Vet’s Team (3 Men, O40/O50/O60, 2 Women O40/O50) Ricky Spence(O40), Colin Alexander(O50), Canty Corbin(O60), Derek Sickling(O60), Liz Martin(O40), Denise Kyme(O50)

Women’s Team (5 + 1 reserve) Amy Chan

The CASA Tournament consists of an Individual Championships (10-14th Aug) followed by the team event (15-19th Aug). This means that it would be possible for the Women’s team to just compete in the teams and shorten the trip… we hope that this might increase the interest.

The BSRA wishes to send the strongest possible team. If you you can help strengthen these squads then get your name in and challenge for a place!

See you on the 15th for Challenge Night….

BIAS Educational Tournament 2007 – Results

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• Royal Gazette: Kyme goes in search of revenge