The Youth Olympics Games of 2018 will be remembered for a number of great reasons, notably the great opening ceremony and closing ceremony but showcase events in particular.
Photo credit: Professional Squash Association
This year’s game saw a historic moment – Squash was featured at the greatest multi-sporting event, even though it was at a young audience, the presence of the world’s healthiest sport showed why it should be an Olympic sport.
In terms of engagement amongst the youth, over 2,000 children got the opportunity to take part in Squash tasters, on a miniature outdoor activation court with coaching from the Squash ambassadors.
Whereas the Showcase event attracted over 3,000 visitors each day on an all-glass court, located in Technopolis Park – it was said many visitors had witnessed the sport, for the first time in their lives.
Great young Ambassadors
The representation of young Squash players from different countries was a great way to show young people that they can aspire to play the sport regardless of their cultural heritage.
Personally, seeing rising Squash star Jonathan Walters of Jamaica was a great way to showcase future talent, from one of the West Indies’ greatest Squash teams at a high-profile sporting event.
With the SquashFORWARD initiative, the ambassadors will take note of the warm reception from the youth of Argentina showing that Squash can be a great sport for them, and have a positive impact on their grassroots programs too.
The gamification of Squash
With most sports nowadays, there has been an element of gamification. Enter our friends at InteractiveSquash, with whom helped Squash, make a strong statement, as to why it deserves Olympic inclusion.
Furthermore, with InteractiveSquash it was a great way to promote their innovative product in a thriving country and showcase the sport in a digital context.
This truly shows why the sport can be fun and engaging for Squash players of all ages.
Final Thoughts
Will Squash get it long deserved Olympic inclusion? Honestly, the lasting impact of the sport showcased why it is truly a great sport.
Let’s not forget, that there has been a number of key developments in Squash this year – the key one was the progression for young players to move up the professional circuit a lot better.
To sum up, the Squash showcase was a great part of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, despite it being a showcase event was a great way for the sport to enhance its credentials to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the grassroots level.
Let’s hope the IOC does the right thing.
