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WSF
Olympic Bid Communication
SQUASH
2016 DAY
MAY 23rd 2009
Important message to all National Squash Federations
World Squash Day has
been rebranded as Squash 2016 Day. It takes place on May 23rd 2009
and is endorsed by the WSF and the Squash 2016 Bid Team.
ALL National Federations
are urged to lend their total backing to the project as we seek to offer maximum
support to squash’s bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Programme.
Our intention is
to create a fantastic, fun-filled, worldwide squash festival on this one special
day.
All Federations are
urged to do the following:
Involve all regional,
state, district, county and local associations
Make sure the message
gets through to EVERY squash club on the planet to support Squash 2016 Day.
Urge your leading
professional players to get involved to help raise the media profile of your
events
MAIN TARGETS:
Encourage every club to
open their doors to the public
Organise events to
demonstrate why squash is such an enjoyable and healthy sport
Raise money to support
the 2016 Bid Fund
Involve touring pros,
club pros and coaches
Invite local schools to
participate
Generate maximum
publicity. Invite the Media to attend to play and watch the sport. As well as
the sports journalists, invite the feature writers who compile the health,
fitness and lifestyle pages
Make them all welcome.
Show them what a great
sport we have.
Use the attached Media
Release to tell them all why we deserve to be an Olympic sport.
SQUASH 2016 BID FUND
One of the main aims of
Squash 2016 Day is to raise funds for the Olympic Bid Fund. Donations can be
made via the new website
www.squash2016.info
T-SHIRTS: BUY THE
SHIRT, SUPPORT THE BID
Every National
Federation can create their own T-Shirts using the logo attached to this email
and distribute them to all participating clubs. The clubs can then sell the
T-shirts and forward the revenues to Olympic Bid Fund (bank details to follow).
UK T-SHIRT SALES
UK T-shirt design and
sales are being organised by Simon Scott, the Harrow distributor for the UK. Any
Federation can order direct from Simon at the following website:
www.kentbridgesports.co.uk
Kentbridge Sports are
offering generous discounts for bulk purchases and will be donating £2.16p from
each shirt sale to the Bid Fund.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
SUPPORT
Every National
Federation is urged to give prominent publicity to the attached Media Release
giving details of Squash 2016 Day.
This includes quotes
from former world champion Peter Nicol, president of World Squash Day and a
Squash 2016 Bid Team Member.
MESSAGE BRIEF
This summarises the messages that Squash must
communicate to the IOC. There are only seven but we must communicate them every
chance we get, through media interviews, lobbying, our presence at events and
exhibitions, and in our final presentation to the IOC in Lausanne in June.
If we communicate them consistently,
frequently and clearly, we will get them across to everyone that needs to know
them and we will have a better chance of being elected into the 2016 Olympic
Games as a result.
1: Squash is the world’s healthiest, most
exciting sport
Forbes Magazine concluded that squash was the
world’s healthiest sport after a survey in 2007. Squash doesn’t take very long
to play but players burn lots of calories while playing, so it’s great for young
people today who want to get fit in the shortest possible time. At the elite
level, squash is extremely athletic and exciting to watch, live and on TV.
2: Squash is a popular, accessible sport,
played the world over
Squash is played in 175 countries by more
than 20 million people. Every continent contains recreational players and
professionals. It is played by men and women, young and old. It is easy to get
started and the cost of
equipment is low. There are courts all over
the world and it is easy to just turn up and have a game.
3: The game is well organised to take
advantage of inclusion in the Olympic Games
Both the PSA and WISPA manage flourishing
World Tours in which elite players compete. The WSF manages World Championships
and these are fully integrated into the World Tours. All three organisations are
100% behind the bid for Olympic inclusion and are fully prepared to take
advantage of the increase in awareness and participation that will result for
the good of the game, and the Games, in general.
4: An Olympic Medal will be the sport’s
highest honour
Every player agrees that the Olympic Games
would take the sport to a different level and the Olympic Champion of Squash is
a title that every player wants.
5: Squash’s top athletes will definitely
compete
The world’s top men and women have all signed
a pledge that they would compete in the Olympics. They will be supported in
doing so by their National Federations, the WSF and PSA or WISPA.
6: Squash can take the Olympic Games into new
markets
Squash has world-class athletes from
countries that do not traditionally produce Olympians. Including squash in the
Olympic Games will boost awareness of the Olympic Movement in these countries,
and will also promote better funding for the development of the sport.
7: The impact of squash on the Olympic Games
will be high, the cost low
Squash is a portable sport: a court requires
minimal space and can be erected anywhere. Squash tournaments have been held in
many iconic locations around the world, attracting players and non-players to
the sport. This makes squash an ideal sport for showcasing the host city.
We will use local squash clubs in the host
city for training and practice, so squash can be staged without any investment
in permanent facilities or infrastructure.
WEBSITES
The Squash 2016 Logo is
attached to this document for use with all promotional material and for use on
all squash websites.
POSTERS
Every Federation is
urged to create a simple poster for distribution to all their clubs.
A sample poster
is attached for you to adapt
click Picture for full size image and then copy the example to your hard disk
.
click Picture for full size image
and then copy the example to your hard disk
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