Where is squash most popular

Its most recent title was acquired in the tournament which was arranged in the country. The activities of the men's national squash team in England are overseen by the England Squash and Racketball. The team bagged its first title in when it won first place in Egypt.

The team's winning streak continued in when it bagged the gold medal in the championship held in Malaysia. England's squash team emerged victorious in the and international squash championships organized in Pakistan and India respectively. Egypt has been churning out world-class squash players since the s.

Squash particularly achieved prominence in the country during the tenure of President Hosni Mubarak. Fitz-Gerald said the sport rode a wave of popularity into the s and '90s, on the back of players like McKay and fellow Sport Australia hall of famer Geoff Hunt.

Fitz-Gerald was part of the Australian women's team that won the World Team Squash Championships four times in a row from to She also won the women's World Squash Championship five times between and , and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in But by the time Fitz-Gerald was winning world championships and enjoying a fierce rivalry with fellow Aussie and three-time champ Michelle Martin, the sport was starting to wane in popularity.

Squash Australia's communications co-ordinator Chris Yeend said Australia was once a "powerhouse" of squash on the world stage, and that translated to the courts across Australia. But things changed and slowly but surely, people moved away from the sport as squash centres closed around the nation. Mr Yeend said people had also become more picky about what they did with their recreation time, as their lives felt busier. Fitz-Gerald agreed, saying the decline of squash had coincided with the rise of international sports particularly.

For squash diehards like Warrnambool's Jason Bilson, the game has never lost its appeal. Squash has always been Mr Bilson's first choice, ever since he picked up a racquet for the first time as an eight-year-old at the squash courts in Maryborough in central Victoria. When he moved south to the coastal centres of Portland and Warrnambool about a decade later, he would think nothing of driving for an hour or two to play in competitions in Geelong or across the border in Mount Gambier.

In , the city of more than 30, people, had two squash centres boasting a total of 12 courts — by , both centres were closed. They secured a series of short-term leases with the owners of the only squash centre in Warrnambool that was still standing, and conducted working bees to get the building back up to code. It's still a tenuous prospect, but the club has fought back from the brink and now has roughly 40 juniors and 80 seniors. Squash has been around for a longer period of time, years versus 60 years.

Squash is also played in more countries, versus 95 for Racquetball. Another possible question is could racquetball become as popular as squash given time enough time and with an increase in the number of countries. The game was loosely based on older game of rackets. The game quickly was passed on to other schools, and the popularity of the sport grew.

Court began to built-in schools, universities, and even private homes all across England. Each player takes turns hitting the ball with a racket off the back wall of the court. The goal is to hit the ball so that on the return, the other player is not able to hit the ball.

A player scores a point when. Games are played to either 11 points or 9 points. The point PAR system is the official scoring system for professional players and used in most amateur games. In this point system, a player can score regardless of who served. In the 9-point system, on the serving player can win a point. Squash grew rapidly in its early days. This was mostly fueled by British military taking the game with them wherever they were stationed.

With time, squash permeated the British empire and was soon played anywhere Great Britain claimed sovereignty. The most successful squash nation, Australia, had the game brought there in this way.

By , squash was introduced in the United States and the first national association, United States Squash Rackets Association, was formed. Other countries developed their own associations. Over time, the court dimensions, rules, and equipment were standardized, making international play easier to facilitate. With many juniors being so interested in squash, it is no secret that colleges have had to adapt to the growing popularity as well. Many Ivy League schools now offer financial aid packages to elite squash players.

Younger players in awe of these champions are working harder than ever to get to an elite competition level in squash and many are hoping for the scholarships available to colleges in the United States to play the game. In the current World Rankings , players from Egypt hold two prominent spots. Mohamed Eishorbagy is currently the top squash champion while Amr Shabana holds the number four spot. In a nation that is not as large and access to squash is not as readily available as in the United States or England, this is a very large accomplishment for Egypt.

It is definitely a country where the sport is thriving.