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Squash 2016 Day Unites Players In Support Of
Olympic Bid
From the townships of
Soweto to many of the world's wealthiest cities, from the southern tip of South
America to the edge of the Arctic Circle, squash players all over the globe are
uniting to support their sport's bid for a place in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Squash 2016 Day
takes place on Saturday (May 23) with a worldwide festival of Olympic-themed
events.
Special emphasis is
focused on the four cities bidding to host the 2016 Games, with extensive squash
programmes scheduled to take place in Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo.
All four cities will be
holding open-air demonstrations and open days at major clubs with top
professionals lending a hand.
Squash 2016 fever has
caught on all over the world and the day launches in New Zealand with rock star
Phil Buscke, guitarist with The Datsuns, wearing his Squash 2016
T-shirt as he does a bungee jump from Auckland Harbour Bridge live on TV.
Clubs big and small are
joining forces as the sport aims to raise its profile ahead of the crucial IOC
voting process.
Pimville Squash Club
in Soweto is holding an open day, with hundreds of local children taking
to the courts for a free introduction to the sport.
WORLD STARS SUPPORT THE BID
Women's world champion
Nicol David and England No1 Nick Matthew are backing the bid in
style.
David, the 25-year-old
world No1 from Malaysia, is holding an auction of her prized tournament
memorabilia in her home city of Penang.
World No6 Matthew,
meanwhile, is heading to Milan for the Five Nations Tournament
with his Sheffield Hallamshire team taking Squash 2016 banners, flags and
T-shirts to the Polisquash Sports Club.
TAKING TO THE STREETS
Squash buses will be
taking to the streets in London and the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, where
squash enthusiasts will be waving their banners and posing for pictures in front
of iconic locations such as Buckingham Palace and the Petronas Towers.
At the end of the day,
Squash 2016 Day organisers will have amassed an amazing collection of images
from all over the world, which will help to illustrate squash's truly global
appeal.
FROM BOLLYWOOD TO HOLLYWOOD
Some Bollywood-style photo
opportunities are being planned in India, with squash fans descending on the
Taj Mahal, Agra, and also the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which was attacked by
terrorists in November last year. There are further Squash 2016 activities
all over India, with events taking place in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata.
In America, a host of
events are taking place all over the country, with squash fans waving banners
and flags in front of the world famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.
Elsewhere, squash legends
Jonathon Power and John White will be taking part alongside
women's world No2 Natalie Grainger in the 100-a-side Battle of The Border
match at the Apawamis Club in Connecticut.
24-HOUR MARATHONS
Two 24-hour marathons are
being held, one at the Leņadura Country Club at the southern Chilean city
of Punta Arenas, and the other at Thurles Squash Club in County
Tipperary, Ireland.
For further information on
Squash 2016 Day activities, please log on to:
www.worldsquashday.com
For information on the
World Squash Federation Olympic bid, please go to:
www.squash2016.info
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