KARACHI: The 16th Chief of the Naval Staff International Squash Championship is set to commence on Wednesday here at the Roshan Khan and Jahangir Khan Squash Complex (RKJK), featuring a talented pool of 24 national and foreign players competing for a substantial prize purse of US$20,000.

According to tournament director Commodore Tauqeer Ahmed Khawaja, who addressed a media briefing at the RKJK Squash Complex on Tuesday, the event promises to be a thrilling spectacle.

A diverse field of 19 internationally-ranked players from eight countries — England, the Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Egypt, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong — will be joined by five Pakistani players, also of international seeding, vying for honours across 23 matches.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Asim Khan is the top seed of the tournament followed by compatriot Tayyab Aslam while Egyptians Yassin ElShafei and Mohammad Zakaria are third and fourth seed, respectively.

The five-day event will also showcase rising talent in four categories of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Women Satellite Series while aspiring youngsters will also be seen in action, as the tournament will host competitions in boys’ Under-15, boys’ Under-13 and girls’ Under-15 categories, with 15 matches scheduled for each category.

“It’s great to see top national and foreign players are participating in the event,” squash legend Jahangir Khan said on the occasion. “This tournament provide a significant opportunity to our national players to test their mettle against extraordinary international players.”

The six-time World Open Champion also said that these events also serve as stepping stone for the young players.

“These competitive tournaments are very advantageous for the youngsters who can take inspiration and learn how to play in pressure situations and better their rankings,” Jahangir added.

Jahangir — who won 555 consecutive matches between 1981 till 1986 — said that players should aim higher if they want to achieve greatness.

“Every player has talent and skills but to be great one should always aim higher,” he said. “If the player is 13 or 14 years old it doesn’t mean that he should only play in Under-15 category, but he should be participating in Under-17 and Under-19. That’s what make you better as a player.”

Tournament director Tauqeer while addressing the media said that the Pakistan Squash Federation and Navy are trying their best to organise more such events to provide ample exposure to the players.

“We have laid down a plan for the next six months in which we are looking to sent our players in international competitions,” said Tauqeer. “These tournaments will hopefully help our national players gradually improve their rankings.”

Tauqeer further added that the Navy has included several aspirants in their ‘young talent program’ through which they fund players and help them find sponsorships for foreign tours.

These players include Huzaifa Shahid, who last month won the Aus­tralian Junior Squash Championship Under-13 title after defeating Australian second seed Gng Hung Yu.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024