POSTED: November 26th 2011

NewsUpdate

Squash ups their game for the Kuwait PSA Cup

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

TAMPA: The men’s Professional Squash Association (PSA) has adopted a new innovative format for the Kuwait PSA Cup, a PSA World Series event involving the world’s top 48 players with a prize fund of $165,000.

The Kuwait PSA Cup is being held 23-29 November to honour the 50th anniversary of the sovereign Arab state of Kuwait. 

The World Squash Federation (WSF) is currently on a mission to enhance the game in their campaign to get squash on the 2020 Olympic program.

The new format is designed after the open draw method of English football’ renowned FA CUP.  

PSA chief, Alex Gough, explained, “For the Kuwait PSA Cup we have introduced an open draw from the quarter-finals onwards.  This means that the top two players could face each other as early as the last eight which is something completely new in squash.

“We are constantly looking at ways to innovate the sport and this format, which draws on the open-draw system of the FA Cup, reflects this commitment. 

“The fact that we have the world’s top 48 players from 21 different countries also shows how the sport is becoming increasingly global.”

N Ramachandran, WSF president, said, “The new format for the Kuwait PSA Cup is another example of how squash continues to innovate and embrace change to make the sport even more appealing to fans, sponsors and broadcasters. 

“Other recent innovations in squash include the dedicated TV operation SquashTV which covers 13 major events all streamed live and distributed to 20 broadcasters worldwide, with a potential reach of 340 million viewers. 

“We have also introduced 'Video Review', allowing match officials to review decisions via TV replay, and raised the bar in terms of introducing the latest all-glass show court, featuring new larger glass panels, on-court air conditioning, a new floor and revolutionary lighting. 

“All these innovations are critical to our ambition to become part of the Olympic Games from 2020 and fans can expect more developments to the sport in the months ahead."

Squash is currently competing against a number of other sports (baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sports climbing, wakeboarding, wushu) for a place on the 2020 summer Games Olympic program.

Keywords · Kuwait PSA Cup · 2020 Games · squash · N Ramachandran · Alex Gough

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Laura Walden ()

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