There was always cricket. There was rugby too, but if you are talking about sports that people across the length and breadth of Sri Lanka were interested in, very few would get excited by the fact that Argentina beat the All Blacks. Indeed, most wouldn’t associate ‘All Blacks’ with New Zealand. They would get more excited about volleyball and soccer. Athletics too, since running, jumping, and throwing just cannot go unnoticed by anyone who attends a school.

Squash? Not popular. Not well known. And yet, as a sport recognised by the Sports Ministry and played or loved by a fair number of people, we need to talk about it. The basic principle is, popularity and bucks should not blind us to the fact that each sport is magical and offers much joy and satisfaction to those who love it. If this wasn’t the case we wouldn’t need a Ministry of Sports, a Ministry of Cricket would suffice.

So, the Sunday Morning Sports decided to talk squash. We met with the Secretary, Eranga Alwis (a former national who was ranked No.1 for three years), Nilruk Soysa, the Treasurer (another former national player), Suren Kohombange, a Vice President, and Rohantha Peiris, also known in rugby circles and who is a also a Vice President. They had a story to tell.

The ‘popular’ eighties

Upfront and honest, they all were. Squash used to be quite popular, had a decent following, and a huge potential to be a very popular sport way back in 1980s.The Sri Lanka Squash Federation (SLSF) was inaugurated in 1981 and a lot has happened since then with Sri Lanka producing many top-quality players. Even though the standards were improving, it was not on par with other Asian countries. There were also periods when development came to a standstill, which obviously didn’t help the game reach the heights that talent, and training promised.

Indeed the older of our readers may remember that time. “Squash” was regularly featured in the sports pages of leading newspapers. The tournaments, players, and achievements were reported on, along with pictures.

The days of classy ones

Squash has seen great days. Sri Lanka produced top-class players such as Saman Thilakaratne, Navin Samarasinghe, Ravindu Laksiri, Nirasha Guruge, Tehani Guruge, and Mihiliya Methsarani who have shone bright at South Asian and Asian level with the icing on the cake being Mihilya Methsarani winning a Bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Although Sri Lanka has produced a lot of talented junior players over the last three decades who have made their mark in the Asian circuit, most have failed to reach expected standards when it comes to the Asian senior level. Financial constraints are part of the story. It makes it tough for the talented young players to train and participate in international tournaments.

Marked decline

Due to multiple reasons, there has been a marked decline in the sport. Popularity has not improved. Coaching needs to be supported, so that the hope of continuous international achievement can be realised.

The development of the sport has been stunted and it hasn’t made any headway into the provinces. Squash is mostly played in Colombo.

Tournaments are regularly held, selection processes are in place to pick players to national pools at the junior and senior levels, coach-development is done through a World Squash Federation (WSF) programme, courses and clinics are offered for referees. Basics, essentially.

Funding is a problem. Occasionally the government helps out to enable players to take part in international tournaments. Corporate funding is sporadic and woefully insufficient to take the sport to a new level. Individual donors also contribute. Overall, the picture is bleak because there’s nothing assured. Long-term planning is not feasible.

Current SLSF Committee

The recently-elected SLSF (now named Sri Lanka Squash or SLS) Executive Committee is determined to turn things around. They have a plan. Squash enthusiasts would no doubt have welcomed the composition of the Committee. It is made up of those who love the game. Some, like Kushani Daluwatte, dominated the sport, having held the No.1 spot for many years.

In a move to improve corporate governance and responsibility, they have decided to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all the officials as well as full-time employees. Guidelines are to be set so that best practices in corporate governance and financial transparency will be followed.

The organisational structure is to be revised and implemented. Interestingly they have also incorporated succession planning into the programme to ensure continued and strong leadership within the organisation. And so, we see influential corporate leaders associated with squash being part of the Executive Committee. This no doubt will help attract the all important sponsorship to the game while also making for a more vibrant organisation which is in tune with international standards.

It must be mentioned that there are no current national players, no coaches, and no parents of current national players in the governing body. Conflict of interest is being taken very serious and squash is setting an example to many sports which don’t seem to have a clue about the notion or openly flout it.

They have their work cut out for them.

Here’s how things stand:

Sri Lanka is currently ranked No. 3 in South Asia, 5th and 6th respectively in the Junior Women’s and Men’s categories respectively, and 7th and 13th for Senior Women’s and Men’s categories respectively, in Asia. There are around 3,000 players in the country and they include school children, military personnel, and veterans. Only 20 schools actively take part in games. Of these, only 11 have courts, nine schools in Colombo, one each in Kandy, and Guruthalawa. There are, of course, squash courts in reputed clubs as well as top hotels and condominium complexes. The game is popular among the security forces and Police. Apparently around 400 players take part in national ranking tournaments organised by SLS in the Junior, Open, Masters, and Veteran categories.

The SLS Committee aims to change all that and has formulated a comprehensive plan with short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies.

The plan is to enlarge the squash footprint in the island targeting schools in Kandy, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, and Hambantota in the first phase and in the second, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Matara, and Jaffna. International schools, universities, and clubs will also be targetted in the plan to attract new entrants to the game. Squash activities, talent-hunt programmes and awareness camps, the full utilisation of existing courts in clubs, hotels, schools, and other institutions, an annual ‘Mercantile Tournament’ coupled with a promotional drive, tagged ‘Squash for health’, are all on the cards. In addition, a National Academy is to be set up. A programme to enhance the skills and capacities of coaches and referees to meet international standards is also envisaged. Technology, which is now part and parcel of all sports development programmes, is another area that the new administration plans to deploy in all this.

Hosting international tourneys

SLS is also planning to showcase squash by hosting international tournaments in Sri Lanka and will seek Professional Squash Association (PSA) accreditation for Senior National and Junior National Tournaments to enable players to earn much-needed ranking points. At least one event for Asian countries will be held every year as part of this promotional effort. Ten courts in selected schools outside Colombo are in the first phase of the development plan. The Committee is confident that a major sponsor can be brought into the sport.

Obviously junior squash development will be a cornerstone of this programme. To this end, a Junior National Circuit comprising three segments will be launched, all named after the Sponsor is the mainstay of the programme. Each addresses a different need for junior squash development. This will be complemented by a Rising Stars Junior Circuit and a National Junior Circuit, both consisting of five tournaments. All this in addition to the signature event, Junior National Championships.

An overseas coach

n addition to setting up a National Academy, the Committee will seek to bring in a foreign squash coach/director from Egypt, Malaysia or Europe where there’s a strong squash culture. A National Development Coach will be part of the effort to raise standards.

So, in summary, we can expect (in the short term) infrastructure development and enhancement of coaching skills, and in the medium term, improved participation in regional tournaments and concerted efforts to popularise the game.

All this will require money and a financial plan is being fleshed out to get former players and lovers of the game to support these projects. The officials are of course very grateful to long-time supporters, Ritzbury/Munchee as well as Finlays who have sponsored the Senior Nationals. Amaya Hills has also sponsored an annual event. Bentota Beach Hotel too. The Sri Lanka Army and Air Force have held regular tournaments and this has gone a long way in keeping the game alive. In fact, the Army sponsored the Nationals with generous cash prizes, from the Under-9 to 19 categories, and beyond. LOLC, Sunquick, Kandos, Browns, Janashakthi Insurance, and United Sports too have sponsored tournaments previously.

New courts. More players. Better achievements in the international arena. All this is possible. The present SLS Committee is determined to make good its promise and seems to be working hard, despite constraints exacerbated by the Covid-19 situation.

We can but wish them all the best. Let’s hope they deliver and force us to give squash much more coverage than at present!