Squash enthusiasts have applauded the decision of the International Olympic Committee to officially include squash as a sport at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The World Squash Federation and the Professional Squash Association extended their gratitude to the Organising Committee of the LA28 Olympic Games and the IOC for including squash.

President, WSF, Zena Wooldridge, said in a statement, “On behalf of the entire global squash community, I would like to express my immense delight at squash’s inclusion in the LA28 Olympic Games. Squash is an amazingly dynamic, diverse and demanding sport that is perfectly suited for the Olympic Games.”

Reacting to the news, President, Nigeria Squash Federation, Boye Oyerinde, described the development as good news for the development of squash.

“It is such a great time to be alive to see the inclusion of the game we love on the world stage, this is a welcome development. It will give our players something to look forward to,” he said.

Tomi Falase, the Chairman, Lagos State Squash Association, said the idea of players competing on the world stage would make squash highly competitive.

“This is a great development, I believe this will make squash more competitive because players will give their utmost best to represent the country internationally.”

“I believe that with this development we’d have more sponsors coming on board to sponsor tournaments and even adopt talents to sponsor,” he said.

Busayo Olatunji, the number two ranked female player in the country said the possibility of representing the country at the Olympics was exciting.

“I’m so happy, because it’s something we’ve been waiting for. There’s more to look out for. I hope all squash enthusiasts will key into this new development, so we players can thrive without being distracted about sponsorship,” she said.

Also applauding the inclusion in the Olympics is Yusuf Durosinlorun, the Technical Director of the NSF.

“I’m happy about this development. This will further add value to the players; representing the country at the Olympics is a big deal. Hopefully it will attract more corporate sponsors to the beautiful game of squash. Congratulations to us all,” he said.

Onaopemipo Adegoke, the number one ranked male player in the country, added, “It’s a great time to be a squash player, I’d be looking forward to representing Nigeria at the global stage.”