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15/09/2015
psa news
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Dubai To Hold
World Series Finals |
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The world’s best squash players will be heading to Dubai after the
Professional Squash Association (PSA) - the international governing body
for the sport - today announced that the season-ending World Series
Finals will be staged in the emirate for the next three years.
Under the official name of ‘PSA Dubai World Series Finals', the 2015-16,
2016-17 and 2017-18 competitions will all take place in the emirate
after an agreement was reached between the PSA and Dubai Sports Council,
facilitated by Falcon and Associates.
In order to compete at the spectacular season-ending event both the
Men’s and Women’s players will have to rank in their respective top
eight on the ‘PSA Road To Dubai Standings’, with ranking points
accumulated at every PSA World Series tournament - with details of the
confirmed 2015/16 PSA World Series schedule to be released later this
week.
With many of the sport’s high-ranking players hailing from the Middle
East, the PSA Dubai World Series Finals will build on the already strong
regional presence and popularity of squash.
Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, His Excellency Saeed Hareb
said: “Hosting the PSA Word Series Finals in Dubai is an opportunity for
us to create further awareness of the prestigious game in this part of
the world. Staging this event next year strengthens the UAE’s position
in general, and Dubai’s position specifically, as a leading sports
destination in the world, as we add squash to our already impressive and
diverse sports portfolio. We are confident that this event will help
raise the profile of the professional game and boost its popularity in
Dubai, the UAE and across the region.”
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said; “We are delighted that an agreement
has been reached which will see the Word Series Finals take place in
Dubai for the next three years in what is a very positive move for the
tournament and the sport.
“The World Series Finals is an iconic tournament within the squash
calendar and one of the most lucrative events on the tour. We are
committed to growing the tournament over the next few years and feel
that having the event securely positioned in a world class destination
such as Dubai will help us achieve our goals."
PSA Chairman Ziad Al-Turki, who successfully ran the tournament for a
four-year stint at London's Queens Club until 2012, has also returned to
the event in an advisory capacity and will be re-introducing the Z-court
- the iconic and futuristic looking coloured glass show court.
"It was with pleasure that I took on the custodian's role of running the
World Series Finals in 2007 in a move that I felt would allow the PSA to
build their off-court presence without the distractions associated with
staging a high-profile event,” said Al-Turki.
"The tour is now in a much stronger position, both financially and
administratively, than when I first got involved and it has been
re-assuring to see the PSA grow significantly as an association during
that time and securing a three-year agreement for the World Series
Finals will allow the PSA to create a lasting legacy in Dubai, which can
only be of benefit to squash as a sport.”
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