Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters has announced her support of squash’s potential inclusion to the 2020 Olympics.
“I think squash would be a great gain for the Olympics,” Clijsters said.
“This is a super competitive sport and a little different from other racquet sports because there is no net between the two players.”
“It is a very demanding sport. With the modernization of the sport, squash certainly deserves a place in the Olympics.”
Clijsters is former world number one and has won 41 Women’s Tennis Association singles titles and 11 doubles titles.
She joins a number of high profile sports figures and celebrities who have ‘backed the bid’ recently as the campaign to get squash into the Olympics has built momentum, including fellow tennis star Roger Federer, top Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, members of the England rugby team, and Aussie rugby league legend Brad Fittler.
It is a crucial few months in the Olympic bid campaign, and squash players and fans across the globe have been actively pursuing efforts to raise the awareness of the bid and promote squash’s suitability as the next Olympic sport.
Squash will make a final presentation to the International Olympic Committee alongside the seven other bidding sports on May 29, and the formal announcement of which sport is being put forward by the Executive Committee will be made on the same day.
Martial arts karate and wushu, rollersports, wakeboarding, squash, sports climbing, wrestling and a joint bid by baseball and softball are the candidates for the one open spot for the 2020 Games.
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