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Indian squash player Abhay Singh, an Asian Games gold medalist and Arjuna awardee, talked about the direction of the sport in the country as squash will make its Olympics debut in 2028 Los Angeles edition of the competition.
Abhay was talking to ANI recently after being honoured with the Arjuna Award, and on squash in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics among other topics. On being honoured with the Arjuna award, India's second highest sporting honour, this month, Abhay said, "It is good recognition." Last year, India earned its best-ever fifth-place finish during the WSF World Team Championships in Hong Kong, losing to France in the quarterfinals. Speaking about the loss, Abhay said, "We came against a very strong France team, with two of their players in the top 20 and their whole team in the top 40. Our team starts in lathe te 40s and 50s. I do not think we played very badly. There is some more work and time that will take (in success)." With Squash making its Olympic debut in 2028, there is a motivation among Indian players to represent their country. Abhay is no different, saying that there is a long way to go. " It is still a long way to go. A lot more events to focus on right now. But it is an exciting opportunity. Everyone would want to be playing at the Olympics. As we head close, there will be more clarity as to who can go there," he added. Abhay said that the Indian team is in the right direction heading into the Olympics. "When you talk about an Olympic medal, you want to be among the top four in the world, where India has not gone before. We do not wake up every day and make sacrifices just to be at the Olympics, we have eyes on medals and that is why we are working. A lot can change in three years," he added. On help received from various quarters of society, he said that centre and state government have been generous. "Olympic Gold Quest have been around for a while, but it has been super smooth with them. They have changed the way squash players are operating right now. We get a lot of money which we can utilise and really they have tied up with the federation. Both parties look up to us really well. We get to work with great coaches." "I get support from Guru Nanak College in Chennai. They were among the first ones to come forward for me. They had been my long-term supporters before I made it to the Commonwealth Games. Corporates, there are not many on the board yet and sponsors. It will change maybe closer to the Olympics. Cornerstone is great. It is like having a team behind me which is supportive, they are always around when I am going through hurdles if I need something. They are always checking up on me. It is good having around them," he added. On his goals for this year, Abhay said that he wants to get into the top 40 in world rankings. "This year is light on big events, as only Asian doubles, individual and national championships are taking place. The next big one is the Asian Games (next year)," he concluded. (ANI)
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