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Daryl Selby Confident IOC Will Include
Squash In 2020 Olympics
Article Courtesy Of Michael Catling
michael7.catling@btinternet.com
 Essex
squash player Daryl Selby is confident that recent changes to the sport
will finally convince the IOC to include squash in the 2020 Olympic
programme.
The World Squash Federation has
rigorously lobbied for squash to gain Olympic status but their attempts
have been overlooked on successive occasions with their London 2012 and
Rio 2016 bids proving unsuccessful.
However, after being shortlisted in the
summer for 2020 Olympic inclusion, Selby believes that the feedback
gained from the previous two proposals could give squash the edge over
its competitors this time around.
The world number 12 said: “I think with
the experience of the other two decisions not going our way they have
learnt enough now that they can produce a winning bid and get us into
the Olympics.
“The guys at the PSA have been at the
heart of everything moving forward.
“The video reviews, glass courts and
everything else are helping to bring squash up to speed with the rest of
the sporting world.
“I think squash is a sport that
definitely deserves to be in there.”
Squash has been shortlisted alongside
baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sport climbing, wakeboarding
and wushu for 2020 Olympic inclusion but despite the raft of
competition, Selby is feeling quietly confident that squash can finally
achieve Olympic status.
“I feel a lot more confident than I did
last time when squash was competing against golf and rugby sevens.
“Golf is such a massive sport with a lot
of money and I think we were really up against it in terms of the clout
that both of those sports had.
“This time I think we have a very good
opportunity to get in but it obviously depends on a number of other
factors.”
The 2011 British National Champion also
highlights the importance of the financial benefits gained from Olympic
exposure and how increased funding could widen squash’s global appeal.
“It is a big thing the Olympics in terms
of the money that will come into the sport and I don’t mean just at the
top level but grassroots wise.
“A lot of countries would want to invest
in squash like Russia and China.
“Those sorts of countries are powerhouses
in the world of Olympic sports and if squash got in then there would be
a lot of investment coming from those countries.
“With a lot more funding, it would help
to get a lot more people playing the game and if that’s the case then a
lot more people would watch it on TV and the sport would hopefully
grow,” concluded Selby.
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