ISLAMABAD, May 24: In what is seen as a major breakthrough and a tremendous boost for sports in the country, the Asian Squash Federation (ASF) has nominated Pakistan as the sole contender for hosting the 2015 Squash World Cup.

The development came after Pakistan successfully hosted the 17th Asian squash event last month where the impeccable playing, lodging and security arrangements impressed ASF President David Mui who was among the distinguished guests invited to watch the championship that was clinched by Pakistan’s Aamir Atlas Khan.

David then recommended Pakistan to host the 2015 World Cup which is indeed a great honour for the country.

A press release issued on Friday said the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has been able to show the world that Pakistan is a safe country and can play a leading role in the promotion of the game by arranging such international tournaments on regular basis.

The handout added that AVM Razi Nawab’s election as ASF Vice President has also started paying dividends and the Asian Squash Federation has shown its confidence in the PSF by giving the 17th Asian Individual Squash Championship to Pakistan.

This is the first leading sports event in the world that has been awarded to Pakistan since the unfortunate terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009 that shut the doors for big international sports tournaments in Pakistan.

Occasional international events have been staged in the region since then including third Asian Masters Squash Championship 2012 in Lahore, the Asian Snooker Championship in Karachi and the 17th Asian Individual Squash Championship in Islamabad. However, no event of this magnitude has been awarded to Pakistan since 2009.

The PSF is striving hard to open up a new chapter of squash revival in the country. Pakistan has been the unchallenged ruler of squash for decades. It is hoped that the staging of squash World Cup in 2015 would open the doors for Pakistan to host major sporting events in future.

The mega event is likely to attract players from across the globe to compete for the coveted trophy and could also help in reviving the lost glory of Pakistan squash.