KARACHI: Former world No 1 Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt, who is presently ranked ninth, and world No 12 Diego Elias of Peru are the main attraction as US$73,000 Golootlo Pakistan Open Squash Championship for men and women that begins at the Asif Nawaz Squash Complex, DA Creek Club, on Wednesday.

Foreign players and officials have started arriving to compete in the country’s premier event which is taking place in the metropolis after 2005.

The details of the competition were unveiled by legendary squash player Jahangir Khan at a press conference held at the DA Creek Club on Monday.

The 10-time former British Open champion, who holds a world record for staying unbeaten in a mind-boggling 555 consecutive matches spread over five-and-a-half years, was flanked by sponsors and his dedicated team of officials.

High-profile events to enhance country’s soft image: Jahangir

Prominent among others were Zubair Surti, Fahad Mahmood, Sajid Mangrio, Rashid Ahmed, Tahir Khanzada and Shahjehan Salahuddin.

Jahangir, who heads the organising committee, expressed his gratitude to the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) for bestowing honours on the Sindh Squash Association (SSA) for staging the mega event in the city.

Outlining the salient features, he said as per PSA rules, 22 players have direct entries in both the categories while the hosts have given two wildcards apiece to local men and women.

Ahsan Ayaz and Noman Khan were given wildcards in the men’s category while Amna Fayyaz and Noor-ul-Huda got wildcards in the women’s category.

Tayyab Aslam, who lost the preceding DHA Cup final to Malaysian Ivan Yuen, and Asim Khan are the two other seeded Pakistanis in the main draw.

Madina Zafar, Sadia Gul, Riffat Khan, Anam Mustafa Aziz and Zahab Kamal Khan have been directly placed in the women’s main round.

The men’s event carries a handsome prize money of US$53,000 while US$20,000 have been set aside for women’s competition which has been launched for the first time.

The squash maestro went on to say that three back-to-back international squash events in the city has not only lifted the image of Pakistan as a peace loving nation but at the same time provided an opportunity to country’s players to deliver and enhance their world rankings.

Jahangir went on to say that such events serve as a platform to bring people closer and expressed optimism that the ongoing spectacle will pave way for staging international meets in other sports.

“Hosting of the events will also motivate the youth who were deprived of watching top players in action for the last 10 to 15 years due to security concerns,” he added.

He answered in affirmative when asked was he satisfied with refereeing in the DHA Cup that served as a curtain-raiser for the prestigious Pakistan Open.

“People have their own point of view but we follow PSA guidelines,” he said.

“Pakistan has a lot of talent in squash but unfortunately, the players lacked commitment,” the squash supremo said when asked how he see the future of the game.

“One needs at least eight-hour practice daily including physical training in order to make an impact,” Jahangir said.

He said that Karachi was the hub of squash activities in the 70s, 80s and 90s due to international facilities but now Lahore and Islamabad have also come up and hosting the events.

Meanwhile, a warm welcome was accorded to former world No 1 and an eminent squash player of the yore, Geoff Hunt of Australia, when he arrived here on Monday evening.

Upon arrival at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport, the former great was received by Jahangir Khan and the SSA official Rashid Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2018