Squash has ticked all boxes for Olympic recognition: Ghosal

MUMBAI: As the countdown to the IOC meet in Argentina nears an end, the race to make it to the 2020 Olympics roster heats up. Caught between the old-timers wrestling and the outsiders baseball and softball, squash would hope to get third time lucky.
Saurav Ghosal said, "I am confident we would make it this time. Our last two bids lacked a little planning and structure, but this time we are leaving no stone unturned.We will be able to showcase the many merits of the sport and win the Olympic ticket.
"Last time round when our bid for the 2012 and 2016 Games were turned down, they gave us a lot of feedback. We have worked on them. We were told to embrace technology, make the sport TV friendly. PSA took the initiative in form of PSA-TV and worked the packaging and branding. Even BBC has come on-board. Consequently, squash viewership has gone up. I think we have ticked all the boxes. All we can do now is hope for the best," said the 27-year-old.
"Squash is a clean sport. We don't have any high-profile drug cheats. We are represented across the world and it is not an expensive sport. The extraneous variables here can be wrestling. Since they are a powerhouse sport, they have a high chance of making it back," said the World No.19.
The run-up to the IOC meeting has seen a lot of renowned voices rally around the 2020 squash bid. From Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Sachin Tendulkar to Nicole David, James Wilstrop and Ramy Ashour squash has gained major representation.
Recounting a meeting with double world champion Nick Matthew, Ghosal said, "Nick is a Sheffield local and he often meets Jessica Ennis during his training at the England Institute of Sport (EIS). Jessica completely supports squash as an Olympic sport. She has come out openly in support of Nick's sportsmanship and the sport."