VIDEO: Squash hoping Olympic dream is finally made real

The International Olympic Committee meets In Buenos Aires to determine which city out of Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul will host the 2020 Olympic Games.

For people involved in squash, bidding to be included in the XXXII Olympiad, they care little about where the Games will be - they just want to be involved. And, 24 hours after the host city has been revealed, the sport will discover if its dream has finally been realised.

It has the backing of major sporting stars such as Andy Murray and Roger Federer and seemingly now meets all the criteria required to transfer itself into the self-styled ‘greatest show on earth’.

But squash enters what could be the most crucial 48 hours in its history more in hope than in confidence that it will finally achieve the Olympic status it so desperately craves.

The reason behind the trepidation is borne out of recent disappointments, missing out on inclusion for the 2012 and 2016 Games - rugby sevens and golf beating it to selection for Rio while an initial decision to include it for London was puzzlingly overturned only hours later - an outcome which still rankles some within the sport.

This time around its rivals are wrestling and a combined softball-baseball bid, the former touted as favourite to make it to 2020 - despite in February this year being recommended to be dropped from the programme by the IOC.

Those behind the bid believe they have ticked every box required in order to gain acceptance by the Olympics movement - but there were similar beliefs held in each of the two previous bids.

In Yorkshire, there is a thriving squash community, having produced three men’s world No1s in the past eight years in Lee Beachill, Nick Matthew and James Willstrop. In the women’s game, Harrogate’s Jenny Duncalf enjoyed a three-year stretch as world No 2 until last year and, despite being in Malaysia for the first tournament of the new season on the women’s tour, will be keeping a close eye on proceedings almost 10,000 miles away in South America.

“If we were selected, it would mean everything to the sport and would probably be the biggest success the game has ever had,” said Duncalf. “It would be a massive platform for us to perform on.

“After past experiences, I can’t say that I’m massively confident with a lot that the IOC do, not to be too negative, but I’m hopeful and believe that we should be included so I’m trying to stay optimistic.”

Leading coach Malcolm Willstrop has little confidence ahead of the vote tomorrow, but is convinced it is long overdue for the sport to take its rightful place.

“I’m not at all confident because I think the workings of the IOC are indeterminable,” said Willstrop.

“It ticks all the boxes and there is no doubt that squash should be in there.

“If successful, what it would actually mean is that the funding you’d get as a result would enable you to do a lot more.

“We could spread the net wider and it is the grassroots that would benefit mostly, the children from under-privileged areas and so on and then it would also give the leading players that we have over here that bit more recognition that they deserve.”

The word legacy is one that has been repeatedly mentioned in the aftermath of the highly successful London Games, something which Sheffield-born Matthew, twice world champion, believes is crucial for his beloved sport.

If a bid is successful it may come to late for himself and some of his contemporaries, but he is keen for squash to be included in order to inspire another generation of players around the world.

“The biggest point for me is legacy,” said Matthew. “ Kids can be inspired when taking up the sport by the possibility of winning an Olympic gold medal.

“It’s the world’s healthiest sport, it’s dynamic, exciting and meets all of the IOC criteria. Wrestling is the favourite, which is a shame as the IOC promised a new sport for 2020.”