Squash: Top things to know

Squash is one of the five additional sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee for inclusion at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, pending approval from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at their session in Mumbai (October 2023).

The final event programme and number of athlete quotas in the additional sports will be finalised in the future.

The racket sport has never previously appeared at the Olympic Games although it was a demonstration sport at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

It has been everpresent at the World Games since 1997.

What is Squash and how is it being played?

Squash is a sport usually played by two opponents on a rectangular court measuring 9.75m x 6.4m enclosed by four walls. The floor is made of hardwood with walls in professional competition constructed from safety glass to enable spectators to watch the action.

On the front wall, there are three lines - the tin 48cm off the ground (lowered to 43cm in professional play), the service line at a height of 1.78m, and the out line at 4.57m which slopes down on the side walls to 2.13m on the back wall. At the start of a point, the server must serve from one of the two service boxes and strike the ball between the service line and the out line.

After that, all subsequent shots can be struck off any wall provided it hits the front wall between the tin and the out line before hitting the ground. The ball is only permitted to bounce once on the floor.

Squash balls are made of rubber and tend to have little bounce. They need to be warmed up with repeated hitting against walls before the start of a match.

How long is a Squash game?

In competitions, the first player to 11 points - with at least a two-point advantage - wins a game. A point is scored on each rally with serve going to the winner of the point. In the past, a player could only win a point on their own serve.

The first player to three games takes the match. In terms of time, this can last anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour and a half for a five-game epic.

How many players are on a Squash team?

Squash is generally an individual sport. There is a doubles form of the game but that is played on larger courts.

Where did Squash originate?

Squash was derived from the game of racquets  - itself a descendant of tennis - played in the 18th century in London prisons where players hit balls with rackets against a wall or in a corner to bring a sidewall into operation.

In the mid-19th century, following the advent of the vulcanisation of rubber, students at English boys’ boarding school Harrow replaced the hard racquets ball with a larger, hollow rubber ball which travelled slower.

Originally called ‘baby racquets’, a Harrow School election resulted in the name change to squash. Graduates then began to construct courts as the sport spread beyond its public school origins.