Why Egypt rules the world of squash
There’s history and a bit of wow factor, but also a strong ecosystem that continues to churn out fine talent for the reigning four-time world team champions
Mumbai: “Basically, for someone like me to play at the Olympics, I have to be world No.1 or 2.”
Karim El Hammamy is world No.48 in the professional squash rankings. In most countries, that ranking would be enough to push toward the nation-capped slots for squash’s debut at the 2028 LA Olympics. Not in Egypt.
“I’d rather be anywhere else,” El Hammamy chuckled.
The world’s current top two male and three female pros are Egyptians. The country has five men and women each in the top 10 rankings. Egypt have won the previous four World Team Championships across gender.
Before Peruvian Diego Elias halted world No.1 Ali Farag’s hat-trick of individual men’s gold at the 2024 Worlds, the last non-Egyptian with that medal stood a decade ago. Every women’s world title since Nicol David in 2014 has gone to an Egyptian.
The land of pyramids, home to the elite sport’s dynasty for decades, is extending its dominance in the modern era. What makes this northeast African nation, with a population of just over 11 crore, remain at the front and centre of global squash?
There’s history to it and a bit of wow factor, but more pertinently, a robust junior base and structure that continues to churn out a fine line of talent.
Introduced to the country by British soldiers more than a century-and-a-half ago in Cairo, squash had rich Egyptian flavour through the mid-nineties — Amr Bey (1930s), Mahmoud Karim (1940s) and AA AbouTaleb (1960s) were all multiple British Open champions.
The watershed moment in Egypt’s squash spark, though, would come in 1996 when a glass-court tournament was held by the Pyramids of Giza, with local star Ahmed Barada reaching the final.
“Everyone wanted to be in that court one day,” 37-year-old Omar Mosaad, former world No.3, said. “My generation, especially, was awestruck by it and wanted to play squash.”
So did plenty more, boosting squash’s popularity stock. “If you’re looking to play an individual sport in Egypt, and earn off it, then squash it is,” says El Hammamy.
The 29-year-old, part of Egypt’s 2023 World Cup winning team, and Mosaad, 2015 Worlds silver medallist, are in Mumbai for the JSW Indian Open. Competing alongside them in this PSA Copper event are a bunch of Egyptians in their teens and early 20s.
“Our squash is still strong because we have a wide junior base,” El Hammamy said.
Not only is that base wide but also superior. At this year’s British Junior Open, all but three winners across the U-11 to U-19 age-groups were from Egypt (among the exceptions was India’s U-17 champion Anahat Singh).
Strong junior base
Indian star pro Saurav Ghosal equates squash in Egypt to cricket in India.
“In India, we have about 850-900 playing the junior nationals, and that’s come a long way from when I played juniors. Egypt has that in one club,” Ghosal said.
All of that quantity and quality has access to densely populated infrastructure. Most Egyptian pros come from Cairo, according to Mosaad, because the capital has an abundance of squash courts, all within a half-hour driving radius.
“It’s too much to count!” El Hammamy says when asked for a rough court count. “Hundreds of courts, thousands of juniors, hundreds of pros.”
Mosaad’s club in Cairo has 16 normal and one glass court. “And it’s all packed,” he says.
“There’s a club there called Black Ball,” Ghosal adds. “They have 18 courts. You can’t get a court there from 3pm to midnight. And each court has one coach.”
Most clubs have local coaches, says El Hammamy, that have played at a decent level and returned to the system. “They’ve produced the level of players and then created an ecosystem that is financially viable and gives the opportunity to grow,” Ghosal says.
Proximity factor
Juniors thrive in that ecosystem by being in the company of and training with top pros, aided by the proximity factor.
“We have 6-7 big clubs, and you will find everyone playing there — from the top professional to the most junior,” Mosaad said. “The new generation can see, for example, how Ali Farag is stretching and training.”
“That’s one thing I feel like in India, everyone is so close-minded,” Ghosal said. “They don’t want to play with each other because they feel like they’re rivals.
“I mean, Ali Farag (No.1) plays with Karim Gawad (No.7), man. These guys are the best in the world and they’re playing with each other. It’s all about getting the tribe better. Then everyone will get better with the tribe.”
And that tribe is coming to the Olympics. Squash’s inclusion in 2028 LA is bound to add fuel to Egypt’s talent-producing machinery. “There will be increased sponsorship from the government,” Mosaad said.
That and the lure of glory.
