Mumbai: “Basically, for someone like me to play at the Olympics, I have to be world No.1 or 2.”
Omar Mosaad, Egypt’s former world No.3 and 2015 Worlds silver medallist, on the JSW Indian Open in Mumbai (HT)
Karim El Hammamy is world No.48 within the skilled squash rankings. In most international locations, that rating can be sufficient to push towards the nation-capped slots for squash’s debut on the 2028 LA Olympics. Not in Egypt.
“I’d rather be anywhere else,” El Hammamy chuckled.
The world’s present prime two male and three feminine professionals are Egyptians. The nation has 5 women and men every within the prime 10 rankings. Egypt have gained the earlier 4 World Workforce Championships throughout gender.
Earlier than Peruvian Diego Elias halted world No.1 Ali Farag’s hat-trick of particular person males’s gold on the 2024 Worlds, the final non-Egyptian with that medal stood a decade in the past. Each girls’s world title since Nicol David in 2014 has gone to an Egyptian.
The land of pyramids, house to the elite sport’s dynasty for many years, is extending its dominance within the fashionable period. What makes this northeast African nation, with a inhabitants of simply over 11 crore, stay on the entrance and centre of world squash?
There’s historical past to it and a little bit of wow issue, however extra pertinently, a strong junior base and construction that continues to churn out a effective line of expertise.
Launched to the nation by British troopers greater than a century-and-a-half in the past in Cairo, squash had wealthy Egyptian flavour by way of the mid-nineties — Amr Bey (Nineteen Thirties), Mahmoud Karim (Forties) and AA AbouTaleb (Nineteen Sixties) had been all a number of British Open champions.
The watershed second in Egypt’s squash spark, although, would are available 1996 when a glass-court match was held by the Pyramids of Giza, with native star Ahmed Barada reaching the ultimate.
“Everyone wanted to be in that court one day,” 37-year-old Omar Mosaad, former world No.3, mentioned. “My generation, especially, was awestruck by it and wanted to play squash.”
So did a lot extra, boosting squash’s recognition inventory. “If you’re looking to play an individual sport in Egypt, and earn off it, then squash it is,” says El Hammamy.
The 29-year-old, a part of Egypt’s 2023 World Cup successful workforce, and Mosaad, 2015 Worlds silver medallist, are in Mumbai for the JSW Indian Open. Competing alongside them on this PSA Copper occasion are a bunch of Egyptians of their teenagers and early 20s.
“Our squash is still strong because we have a wide junior base,” El Hammamy mentioned.
Not solely is that base vast but in addition superior. At this yr’s British Junior Open, all however three winners throughout the U-11 to U-19 age-groups had been from Egypt (among the many exceptions was India’s U-17 champion Anahat Singh).
Robust junior base
Indian star professional Saurav Ghosal equates squash in Egypt to cricket in India.
“In India, we have about 850-900 playing the junior nationals, and that’s come a long way from when I played juniors. Egypt has that in one club,” Ghosal mentioned.
All of that amount and high quality has entry to densely populated infrastructure. Most Egyptian professionals come from Cairo, in keeping with Mosaad, as a result of the capital has an abundance of squash courts, all inside a half-hour driving radius.
“It’s too much to count!” El Hammamy says when requested for a tough court docket depend. “Hundreds of courts, thousands of juniors, hundreds of pros.”
Mosaad’s membership in Cairo has 16 regular and one glass court docket. “And it’s all packed,” he says.
“There’s a club there called Black Ball,” Ghosal provides. “They have 18 courts. You can’t get a court there from 3pm to midnight. And each court has one coach.”
Most golf equipment have native coaches, says El Hammamy, which have performed at a good stage and returned to the system. “They’ve produced the level of players and then created an ecosystem that is financially viable and gives the opportunity to grow,” Ghosal says.
Proximity issue
Juniors thrive in that ecosystem by being within the firm of and coaching with prime professionals, aided by the proximity issue.
“We have 6-7 big clubs, and you will find everyone playing there — from the top professional to the most junior,” Mosaad mentioned. “The new generation can see, for example, how Ali Farag is stretching and training.”
“That’s one thing I feel like in India, everyone is so close-minded,” Ghosal mentioned. “They don’t want to play with each other because they feel like they’re rivals.
“I mean, Ali Farag (No.1) plays with Karim Gawad (No.7), man. These guys are the best in the world and they’re playing with each other. It’s all about getting the tribe better. Then everyone will get better with the tribe.”
And that tribe is coming to the Olympics. Squash’s inclusion in 2028 LA is sure so as to add gas to Egypt’s talent-producing equipment. “There will be increased sponsorship from the government,” Mosaad mentioned.
That and the lure of glory.