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Squash 2016 Announces Ambassador Additions
At a
packed press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Nicol David, the
Women’s World No1 from Malaysia, announced that she is to become an ambassador
for Squash 2016, the sport’s campaign to be included in the Olympic
Games from 2016. An additional four top athletes have been added to the
list of three players already announced, meaning the bid team now have eight
sporting Ambassadors flying the flag for the sport the globe over.
Nicol, who has been ranked No1 for an incredible three years, highlighted how
important the Olympic Games are to her: “For an athlete there is no higher
pinnacle of sporting achievement than an Olympic medal. No Malaysian has ever
won a gold medal, and I would like to be the first. Squash is really strong in
Asia, and making it an Olympic sport would give all Asian women something
incredible to aim for.”
The
other new ambassadors for Squash 2016 are: Rebecca Chiu, Hong Kong’s top
female player; Siyoli Lusaseni, the South African star; Saurav Ghosal,
Indian No1; and Englishman Alister Walker, winner of three PSA World Tour
titles.
They
are joining the initial three ambassadors: former world champion Thierry
Lincou (FRA); world number three and current World Open Champion Ramy
Ashour (EGY); and Samantha Teran, the first Mexican woman to earn a
world top 20 ranking.
Natalie Grainger,
Squash 2016 Bid Team member and World No4, also spoke at the press conference,
saying: “Squash is a sport with worldwide appeal, and the fact that the two
top players in the world come from Malaysia and Egypt mean that as a sport we
can help take the Olympic Games into countries that don’t typically produce
Olympians.
“As
a player I’m so excited about this opportunity and we’re determined to help it
happen,” added the Pan American Games champion.
Squash, played in 175 countries by over 20 million people, is bidding against
six other sports for inclusion in the Olympic Games. The IOC Executive Board
will meet to assess submissions from each of the sports in June, before the
final vote by all of the IOC voting members in October.
Nicol David World No. 1
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