(ARTICLE IN HINDUSTAN TIMES,
NEWSPAPER, NEW DELHI: 14TH OCTOBER 2016)
Once again, squash players have been done in by the
Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and the Squash
and Racquets Federation of India (SRFI). Several teams
have complained after participation rules were changed
at the last minute, which the players allege has
happened for the second year in a row.
The
All-India Inter University Squash Tournament is on at
the Satyabhama University in Chennai. Women players from
six of the eight universities that have landed to
participate have registered a complaint with the
organisers.
Their main grievance was that the
women’s tournament was advanced from the original
schedule of November 5 to 8.
The bigger complaint
is that the format of the team competition has been
changed without informing the teams. Players alleged
that in contravention of the rules, only three players
from the mandated five will be allowed to compete in
team competition. And in the individual event, matches
have been pruned to best-of-three games from
best-of-five.
This change has left many teams in
a quandary as they have reached Chennai with five
players for the team event. “We were given an unsigned
letter that said the rules have changed and we were told
they’ll only issue certificates for three, who play as a
team. They could have told us before, what will happen
to the others who have come?” Panjab University’s Jannat
Duhan told HT over phone from Chennai.
Players
have also sent a written complaint to AIU secretary in
which they have alleged they were threatened by “Mr
Harish (Prasad) from SRFI” of disqualification if they
continue to protest.
Duhan said organisers did a
similar thing at last year’s championships in Haridwar.
AIU chief Gurdeep Singh could not be reached for
comment.
A separate complaint has also been filed
by coach and former player, Saket Wali, with the AIU.
“…none of the participants were informed, otherwise they
would not have registered and travelled about 3000 km
from Chandigarh, Patiala, Delhi, Gujarat and Indore with
six players for a four-player competition,” Wali wrote.
Squash A Mile 2016 is an initiative of Rohaan
Advani, Diya Sanghi and Chaitanya Shah to help cancer
patients who cannot afford its treatment. The squash
community in Mumbai will come together to show its
concern and care at a fun-filled event that involves
giving. This year as in the previous years, the proceeds
from Squash-A-Mile will be given to V Care Foundation.
There
is a new sport resurging in India- it is safe to say
that squash is certainly making a comeback in the
nation. Junior squash players in India are doing well
internationally and are looking for exit options after
the junior circuit. With bleak professional
opportunities available, the most viable and rewarding
exit seems to be “Universities in the US.”
Interestingly, US is one of the only countries that
allows a player to represent their university team and
at the same time get a prestigious degree at top notch
universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Princeton etc.
There are approximately 33 Men’s
and 30 Women’s universities who actively scout for
athletes around the world to join their team. Every
squash team has 12-15 players (out of which 9 players
qualify into the competition lineup in matches against
other universities). Each year, coaches recruit 3-4
players to maintain a competitive team – giving 300-350
squash players from around the world the opportunity to
study and compete in the US! Indian squash players have
huge potential and are considered valuable recruits for
the US university squash circuit. In the last 10 years,
India has sent more than 60 students, both men and
women, to US universities.
What makes Indian squash players
so attractive to American coaches is that we have a lot
more to offer in addition to our superb squash skills.
Firstly, we come with the huge advantage of being
educated in the English language, which makes it easier
to transition into the American university system.
Secondly, Indian students do considerably well in the
SAT/ACT exams due to a high proficiency in Math and data
interpretation.
So, a fair question is - what
does it take to become a US university squash player? A
student with a top 25-30 squash ranking in India and
high grades in Class 9 and up (B+ to A- average) should
consider leveraging their sport for better opportunities
beyond high school. Few things to keep in mind are that
each student should create a list of approximately 15
prospective universities and contact all the respective
squash coaches. It is also advisable to identify one’s
financial needs (if any) to a coach early in the
conversation so that they can evaluate if they have the
resources to admit you into the team and university.
In addition, potential students
should select universities not just purely based on
squash rankings, but also by looking at course of study,
campus environment, community engagement etc. For
example, I chose Cornell as it had a campus away from a
big city, which gave me a feel of being close to my
university friends without the fast-paced city life. At
the same time, it offered me a competitive degree in
Economics, where I had the privilege to attend classes
under professors who were Economic Advisors to the
Finance Ministry- and even the Prime Minister of India!
The immense research opportunities at Cornell caught my
fancy and the camaraderie among the squash team made it
my dream university. I cannot fathom having attended any
other institution. As I did, I believe everyone must
make a list of all their priorities in order to better
identify their “dream” university.
Lately, many athletes across
India are recognizing the value in using a professional
service to guide them through the complications that
arise during their US university athletics recruitment
process. I work at AddedSport – a sports management
company that specializes in helping athletes across Asia
leverage their sport to gain admission into top academic
and athletic US universities. We help with applications,
scholarship negotiations and identifying the “best-fit”
universities for our athletes – on both fronts,
academically and athletically. We are in constant
communication with all US university squash coaches and
they constantly express their eagerness to recruit
squash players from India through us.
I believe that AddedSport
is the much needed bridge between sports in Asia and US
Universities. The door is wide open, and it is about
time for our squashers to grab this opportunity with
both hands!
And she definitely has reasons to be so upbeat. Last
time, she teamed up with the India No. 1 Joshna
Chinappa, the girls clinched the prestigious gold medal
in women’s doubles at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow.
The Indians will be aiming to repeat
their success at the upcoming world doubles where a
total of seven nations will be competing in all the
three categories of doubles – men’s, women’s and mixed.
India, who is participating in all the events, will have
tough competition from Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland,
Wales, Colombia, besides hosts Australia.
Dipika
is yet to begin her practice with Joshna but she sounded
pretty confident about their chances as they complement
each other very well.
“Obviously, we [Joshna and
I] have not practiced together. We will have to do it
soon,” she told The Hindu on the sidelines of a car
launch on Saturday.
“The tournament will be as
competitive as the Commonwealth Games. We might be
seeded either one or two. We have to win it.
“We
enjoy playing together. We complement and understand
each other well. We are eager to do well in the Darwin
event,” the former World Championship quarter-finalist
revealed.
Absence of squash a big loss for
Olympics The 24-year-old further added that squash
not featuring at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was a big loss
for the mega quadrennial games, rather than the other
way round.
“Squash has grown a lot in the last
seven years. It is only the Olympics which is the loser
rather than squash,” the India No. 2 said.
Pallikal pointed out that the sport had left no stone
unturned in order to secure the much-coveted Olympic
spot but in the end, it was all in vain. It was a
frustrating situation for the squash fraternity who had
no clue why they fell short again.
The Chennai
girl had no qualms in admitting that the players simply
laughed off when they learnt that sports such as
skateboarding, surfing, karate, sports climbing and
baseball/softball had been given preference over squash.
Dipika Pallikal, one of India’s top squash players, said
the sport not figuring in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is not
a loss for the sport but for the Olympics.
“Squash has grown a lot in the last seven years. It is
only the Olympics which is the loser rather than
squash,” she said.
Dipika said the squash administration had done all it
could to promote the sport — getting good television
coverage, building new glass courts and changing a lot
of rules — but those were to no avail.
“It was really frustrating. We were clueless (on why
squash was left out),” she said, on the sidelines of the
launch of the Audio R8V10 plus car here on Saturday.
The World No. 18 said when it was reported that
baseball/softball, karate, sports climbing,
skateboarding and surfing were provisionally selected
for the Tokyo Games, “we [squash players] all laughed
about it.”
Dipika said her focus was on the World doubles
championship to be held in Darwin (Australia) from
August 15 to 19.
“Obviously, we [Joshna and I] have not practiced
together. We will have to do it soon. The tournament
will be as competitive as the Commonwealth Games. We
might be seeded either one or two. We have to win it,”
she said. “We enjoy playing together. We complement and
understand each other well. We are eager to do well in
the Darwin event.”
About the new coach of the Squash Rackets Federation of
India, Ashraf El Karargui, Dipika said, “he has big
shoes to fill as Maj. Maniam had a huge impact on us. We
are looking forward to working with the new coach,” she
said.
Aditya’s aim
Aditya Patel said his aim was to finish in the top three
in the 2016 Audi LMS Cup where he will be driving for
Team Audi China.
HC revokes conferment of sports
prize to IOA President
Article in PTI News
New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) The
Delhi High Court today revoked the conferment of
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar (RKPP) 2011 to Indian
Olympic Association President N Ramachandran, saying it
was finalised without "proper inquiry and application of
mind."
The Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports had instituted the RKPP in 2009 for
contribution to sports by individuals, corporates or
institutions. Ramachandran was awarded RKPP award in the
category of "Establishment and Management of sports
academies of excellence."
"This court therefore holds that
the award of Puraskar to the fifth Respondent
(Ramachandran) was finalised without a proper inquiry
and proper application of mind, no attempt to verify the
claims of achievement of the fifth Respondent were
seriously made. The said decision, based on the
Selection Committee's recommendation, is therefore
unsupportable in law," a bench comprising justices
Ravindra Bhat and R K Gauba said.
It said the manner in which the
whole selection took place, with respect to Ramachandran
not only reveals a "casual and uncritical acceptance of
whatever was and offered by the applicant, but also
exemplifies what is wrong in such matters in Indian
sports."
"Sportspersons and where they
function and the general public they entertain, are a
world apart, it so seems from the world of sports
administrators! This disconnect is deeply thrown up in
sharp relief in the facts of the present case where
regardless of the facility which was claimed to have
been developed, the ultimate user, i.e. the squash
players/ coach etc. had no voice in the selection of
Puraskar or its awarding," the bench said.
The bench directed the sports
ministry, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Sports
Development Authority of Tamil Nadufirst to pass
consequential orders, revoking the grant of Puraskar to
the Ramachandran, within four weeks from today.
It also asked Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports to include eminent sportspersons in
the selection committee of RKPP for 2016.
"This Court holds that ? first,
the exclusion of eminent sportspersons from the
Selection Committee of the Puraskar was without any
basis; and directs the first Respondent to make
appropriate provisions for the same in the Scheme of the
Puraskar for 2016," the bench said in its verdict on a
plea filed by one Tatpal Singh Jaggi who challenged the
conferment of the award to Ramachandran.
"Tushar Shahani, the star of Khar Gymkhana
Squash Academy has been sponsored by Mahindra
Sona Ltd. The sponsorship covers his travel and
hotel expenses for all his tournament
participation till the end of this financial
year.
Tushar is the reigning national champion and world
No-7 in Boys Under-15 age group. He will remain in
this age group till March 2016. However, he is
participating in Boys Under-17 to get better match
practice. In this age group too, he is in the top 8
ranks in the country!
We hope this sponsorships helps him attain more glory!"
Squash A Mile 2015 is an initiative of Rhea & Rohaan
Advani, Sireena Divecha & Riddhi Sampat to help cancer
patients who cannot afford its treatment. The squash
community in Mumbai will come together to show its
concern and care at a fun-filled event that involves
giving. This year as in the previous years, the proceeds
from Squash-A-Mile will be given to V Care Foundation.
This year the event is on Sunday, 23rd August
2015 from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at the Bombay
Gymkhana Squash Courts.
For more information
please visit our Facebook page
www.Facebook.com/squashamile2015
The draw for the 2015 JSW Indian Squash Circuit NSCI
Open, PSA M15 & W15 tournaments has been released with
Adrian Waller due to head a supremely competitive Men’s
field when the tournament gets underway at the NSCI
Club, Mumbai on Thursday September 3.
Waller, who
is recognised as one of the fittest players on the PSA
World Tour, makes his debut on the Indian Circuit and is
looking to add to the four PSA World Tour titles that he
has achieved thus far in his career.
The
Englishman might need to get past Raphael Kandra if he
is to take the crown with the German named as the number
two seed. Kandra is the form player heading into the
event having already won a trio of titles in 2015 and is
looking to earn back-to-back titles for the third time
in his career.
Seeded to meet Waller in the
semi-final is Tsz Fung Yip while on the other half of
the draw Mahesh Mangaonkar, the Indian No.2 who is
competing in his home-town, could spar against Kandra
for a place in the showpiece finale.
World Junior
Champion Habiba Mohamed headlines the Women’s event as
she looks to continue her meteoric rise on the PSA World
Tour but will have to be wary of other highly-regarded
players such as Nicolette Fernandes and Joey Chan.
Mohamed could meet Chan at the semi-final stage if
both players perform to their seeding while Fernandes
has a path to the final that is fraught with danger as
she could face both Nouran El Torky and Joshana Chinappa
en-route.
“We are delighted to have such a strong
line-up for the start of the Indian Circuit,” said
Tournament Promoter Raj Arora.
“There are no easy
matches for anyone in the draw and it should make for a
stunning spectacle.”
2015 Men’s JSW Indian Squash
Circuit NSCI Open – Main Draw [1] Adrian Waller (ENG)
v Peter Creed (WAL) Joel Hinds (ENG) v [5] Harinder
Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) [7] Mohamed Reda (EGY) v
[Qualifier] [Qualifier] v [4] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) v [WC] Kush Kumar (IND)
Tom Ford (ENG) v [8] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) [6] Ben
Coleman (ENG) v [Qualifier] [Qualifier] v [2] Raphael
Kandra (GER)
2015 Women’s JSW Indian Squash
Circuit NSCI Open – Women’s Draw [1] Habiba Mohamed
(EGY) v [Qualifier] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) v [8] Laura
Pomportes (FRA) [7] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v [Qualifier]
[WC] Sachika Ingale (IND) v [3] Joey Chan (HKG) [4]
Joshana Chinappa (IND) v Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
[Qualifier] v [6] Deon Saffery (WAL) [5] Nouran El
Torky (EGY) v Fiona Moverley (ENG) [Qualifier] v [2]
Nicolette Fernandes (GUY)
India’s top squash player and
talisman, Saurav Ghosal has set his sights on breaking
into the top 10 of the men’s singles rankings. Saurav
had reached a career-high ranking of No. 15 in December
2013 , so this is one target that is on the horizon.
The 2014 Asian Games gold
medallist recently conveyed his plans on the sidelines
of an exhibition match between Saurav and the World No.
2 Gregory Gaultier at the 222-year-old Calcutta Racket
Club.
The India No. 1 who has now
slipped to a ranking of 21 also revealed that he dreams
of winning an individual Commonwealth Games medal for
India in 2018.
“I am now ranked #21 in the
world. I would like to get back into top 20 and push
towards top 10. 2014 was a big year for me and 2018 is
another big year coming up. Hope I can win an individual
Commonwealth Games medal in 2018.”
Saurav Ghosal also expressed
disappointment on squash missing out on achieving the
status of an Olympic sport. The top Indian squash player
reasoned that squash deserved an opportunity to be a
part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Considering that we
have multiple Olympic medals for sports like rhythmic
gymnastics and synchronized swimming, it is a well
founded logic that bears consideration.
“It was a massive disappointment
and a travesty that squash could not make it to 2020
Olympics. We definitely deserve to showcase our sport.”
However, all is not lost for
squash. The sport can still harbour hopes of making it
to the quadrennial event. The new IOC president Thomas
Bach is planning to expand the 2020 Olympics programme
and this situation has presented the racquet sport a
second chance.
Saurav explained that the
sport was given a feedback from the IOC. There is a
focus now on attempts to dress up the sport a bit more
and improve its overall quality. The World No. 21
remains optimistic and one will know IOC’s final
decision by middle of next year. Hopefully squash makes
it to the list! Future of Indian squash is bright
Talking about the Kolkata
exhibition, which is the first of its kind in India,
Saurav Ghosal said that he had been thinking about such
an event for a long time and he hopes that this will
inspire youngsters to take up squash.
“The idea is to basically get
someone of Greg’s stature so that the juniors can have a
front-up view of what it takes to be a champion. Hope
this is going to make lots of youngsters take up the
sport.”
With India claiming the
women’s doubles Commonwealth Games gold and the Asian
Games men’s team gold last year, squash is on an upward
curve in India. Saurav Ghosal believes the future of
squash in the country is looking bright at the moment
and the next 4-5 years will see a surge in squash
talent.
“The future of squash here is a
lot better than before. Many juniors are coming in to
train. In the next 4-5 years there will be a
gravitational pull that will bring in many more
youngsters.”
The Kolkata lad also saw an
improvement in the Bengal’s squash landscape.
“The scene here is much better
than when I started out. With me and Ramit Tandon
(coming back from the US in June this year), it is going
to be exciting.”
There’s no better country to
look at other than Egypt when it comes to squash. With
five of the current top 10 being Egyptians, the African
nation has established itself as a dominant force in the
sport. Former British Open winner Gregory Gaultier
pointed out that it is no wonder Egypt is doing so well.
“Squash is big in Egypt, right
after football. Even one of their presidents was a fan
of squash. Now there are even squash schools in Egypt,”
said the 32-year-old Frenchman.
Saurav also stressed on the
need to have more PSA events regularly in India which
will give the Indian players a chance to play at home.
In 2014, there were five PSA tournaments for the first
time. Ghosal hoped that the Squash Rackets Federation of
India (SRFI) is able to find sponsors that will enable
India to host World Series events.
Thanks to SRAM’s (Squash Racquets
Association of Maharashtra) constant efforts, Mumbai’s
young, talented and established squash player Mahesh
Mangaonkar has received a grant of Rs five lakhs from
the Maharashtra Government, late last year.
Ministry officials from the state
government handed over a cheque to the player at his
residence recently.
The 20-year-old Mahesh has steadily
risen from the junior ranks into a top class player and
is currently ranked at a career high of 44 in the world
professional circuit. He has done exceptionally well
last season winning two major titles on the PSA Tour and
finished runners-up in three other events. Earlier last
year, he clinched the $5,000 Men’s Open du Gard 2014, at
Nimes, France and back home, won the $10,000 Men’s JSW
PSA Indian Circuit No2 2014, at Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana
Club, Mumbai, last October.
Mahesh’s mother Anjali was quite
satisfied with the cash award her son received and was
all praise for SRAM. “SRAM has been promoting squash for
a long time and have been supporting Mahesh from a very
young age. SRAM has taken care of Mahesh throughout his
entire junior career, his training and now they have
used their good offices to push his credentials which
helped to obtain this grant of Rs 5 lakhs,” mentioned
Anjali.
SRAM Treasurer, Mahendra Agarwal,
mentioned that this was just a small gesture for a
player who has brought laurels for Mumbai, Maharashtra
and someone who is a bright future for Indian squash.
“Mahesh deserves this award. He has done very well from
the junior ranks and now at the world level. With his
achievements we approached the state government and they
agreed to sanction this sum, with a promise to offer
more funds later,” he pointed out.
Agarwal further stated that the
SRAM is confident the new government in Maharashtra will
soon confer Mahesh with the Shiv Chhatrapti Award, the
highest award given to a sportsperson from the state.
“He (Mahesh) is eligible for the award and I’m 100%
confident that this new Maharashtra Government will
recognise the achievements of Mahesh and give him the
Shiv Chhatrapati Award very soon. It would also be the
first time a squash player receives this award,” stated
Agarwal.
“This funding from the government
is not much and we are now looking forward to support
from the Central Government. We are also looking to rope
in sponsors and are confident that the SRAM and ISP, who
have done a lot for the game, will help to get a
sponsor. I will be grateful if corporates come forward
to support Mahesh,” Anjali said modestly.
The tall, dapper Mahesh is
currently in Boston, USA training under coach Shaun
Moxham preparing for his first major event, the Tour
Champions, starting in New York later this month.
