With squash on Olympics calendar, every player will have LA Games in mind: Anahat

India’s top-ranked squash player, Anahat Singh, expects the 2028 Los Angeles Games to be the primary focus for every player over the next two years as the sport makes its Olympic debut there.

Winning a medal at the Olympics is the dream of every player, Anahat said here on Tuesday.

“It’s obviously very exciting. (It) is the first time that it is a part of the Olympics and all the athletes have been really looking forward to,” Anahat said during a pre-tournament press conference for the JSW Indian Open. “Before this, the biggest event (one) could play was maybe the Commonwealth (Games), but now the Olympics is there, and it’s of course, every athlete’s dream to go and play in the Olympics and win a medal.”

“For the next few years, that is going to be everyone’s aim and in the long run, that is going to be on my mind as well, to make sure that I’m able to train up to the Olympics and possibly get a medal for the country,” Anahat added.

The JSW Indian Open is a PSA Copper event, which will provide players an opportunity to earn ranking points while building momentum towards the Asian Games later this year. India’s second-highest-ranked male player Ramit Tandon said the inclusion of the sport into the Olympic programme has also attracted corporates. “It (Olympics) is the biggest sporting event in the world, so it’s everyone’s dream to be there. Apart from that, what our sports has benefitted from is JSW and (other) corporates getting on board after it has gone into the Olympics,” he said. “We’re having tournaments like this, which would not have happened if squash wasn’t in the Olympics.