When you hear the word squash, what comes to mind? Egypt, without a doubt, and we’re not talking about the vegetable here; we’re talking about the sport! Egypt has dominated squash for quite some time, and there are a variety of reasons for this. We can confidently assert that squash is one of Egypt’s most popular and successful sports. This success has enticed many entities to support and build spectacular venues for competitions that draw crowds from all over the world. Therefore, we chatted with Coach Islam Hany, one of the current National Team Egypt coaches and the founder of the S-unit squash program, to understand more about Egypt’s dominance. His perspectives were useful and enlightening as we learned more about the sport and how it has changed through time. Are you getting excited yet? You should be, for here is squash in its entirety!
Team Egypt during the world championships
The Beginning
“Squash was a sport that involved several players who were passionate about the sport and wanted it to develop before all of the media attention, sponsorships, and extravagant tournaments”, Hany claimed. Their goal was to compete on the professional circuit across the world and to improve as players while representing Egypt. According to Hany, this is when the magic began to happen, as an increasing number of players got interested in pursuing a professional squash career. Do you want to learn even more? As the careers of those old generation’s players dwindled, they became coaches, who in turn influenced and formed a new generation of passionate players. This cycle continued indefinitely, but two major events occurred that irreversibly altered squash’s trajectory. First, the renowned Al Ahram tournament drew not only Egyptians’ but the entire world’s attention due to its magnificent setting.
The competition was held just in front of the Giza Pyramids, with a glass court in the heart of our history. This location nicely blended our ancient and modern identities. Furthermore, the venue saw a significant number of spectators come to support the Egyptian players, including people who knew nothing about squash except that a tournament was taking place in front of the pyramids! This is one of the largest and most stunning venues in the world for any sport. People were more interested in the sport as a result of this, and their desire to learn more about it and offer it to their children rose. This event had athletes from all around the world who were at the time dominating the sport, and no, they weren’t Egyptians until one man-altered everything. Hany suggested that this man is the second reason why future generations will be eager to win and follow in the footsteps of this man. Ahmed Barada was the first Egyptian to reach the top of the professional tour rankings. As they chanted his name, he encouraged future generations. Do you want to hear something even more bizarre? Some even brought their “Tabla” (drums), as we call them, to applaud Barada. It was frantic yet exhilarating, and it instilled a sense of belonging in those who went to watch.
With this tournament, squash saw unprecedented growth in players, as more players transitioned from players to coaches, inspiring a new generation of players. As a result, as Hany explained, “the base grew, and Egypt now has the largest number of squash players of any country.” So, what impact does this have on the sport? This laid a solid foundation for the game, and when new competitions for junior players were established, more champions emerged.
In addition, the starting age of Egyptian players is a significant feature that sets it apart from other countries. Squash is played by children in Egypt at a younger age than in any other country. They start playing squash at the age of seven or eight, and by the age of nine, they are competing in tournaments. This allows juniors to grow and improve their levels and skills at an early stage and provides adequate time for them to do so. Other countries, as Hany mentioned, begin squash much later than Egyptians. Kids typically begin playing squash at the age of 10-11 years old and compete at the age of 12-13 years old. This definitely provides Egyptians an advantage and solidifies the players’ foundation in Egypt.
New Incentives
With the growth of squash in Egypt, new incentives arose that encouraged players to become more involved and eager to learn more about the sport. New sponsors, such as CIB, who are currently financing a number of professional players, have contributed to the funding of an increasing number of tournaments, according to Hany. This greatly raises the sport’s popularity in the country and encourages every family to produce squash champions. Tournaments like El Gouna Squash Tournament hosted by an Egyptian real estate company, have made Egypt the squash capital of the world, resulting in a massive surge in sports tourism. Furthermore, as a result of increased media coverage by local and international channels, as well as new sponsors in Egypt, more players are pursuing a professional career after completing their junior career and representing Egypt in professional events.
Furthermore, studying abroad has contributed to the growth of squash, but it is not a guarantee of domination. Squash has created new opportunities for junior players to study at American high schools and then transfer to American colleges. This has attracted a large number of people who want to learn squash and study abroad at the same time. While this may not be the reason for Egypt’s success over the years, it does demonstrate how the sport has evolved in Egypt and how different incentives push players to pursue different goals.
Egypt keeping squash alive
However, Hany has drawn to our attention one significant point: how Egypt kept squash alive during the pandemic. Due to the Coronavirus, many events were canceled, but Egypt was the country that resurrected the sport and kept the professional circuit continuing. Egypt’s ability as a country and as an iconic squash organization has been stepping further away from the rest of the countries, and this is something that history will remember.
We owe it to prior generations who pursued a passion and never hesitated to share it with future stars who helped the game grow and change. W couldn’t help but think about how the renowned Ahmed Barada, who later became an actor, has inspired new generations to take up squash and play in front of the pyramids as he did. The country’s efforts are also important elements that distinguish it from its squash opponents.