Launch the HCL Squash
Podium Programto improve both player and coaching standards with the aim of
getting more Indian players to finish at the podium
HCL, a leading global conglomerate, today
announced the launch of HCL Squash Podium Program in partnership with the Squash
Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) to significantly improve the Squashecosystem
in India. The multi-pronged program will focus on driving a 360-degree overhaul
in Indian Squash by improving both player (senior and junior) and coaching
standards and enhancing the overall prominenceof the sport in the country.As
part of this initiative, HCL and SRFI will also host the HCL Indian Tour - a Professional
Squash Association (PSA) multi-city circuit in the country, giving the Indian
players an opportunity to compete against the world’s best on their home turf.
The
year-long HCL Squash Podium Program will host:-
·
Multiple coaching
camps and referee clinics – HCL and SRFI will work towards capacity-building and skill enhancement for existing Indian coaches
and referees and benchmark them to standards recommended by World Squash
Federation (WSF). With this HCL and SRFI aim to significantly improve the
current number of 13 WSF Level 2 Coaches in the country to help the upcoming
Indian players greater access to world-class coaches and enhance their overall performance.
HCL and SRFI will also host referee clinics along with each PSA tournament to
help improve refereeing standards.
·
HCL Indian Tour – HCL and SRFI will
organize multi-city PSA tournaments in both men’s and women’s categories to
help upcoming players in the country gain international ranking points and
climb up the PSA rankings.These tournaments will also offer a larger number of
Indian players the opportunity to compete against some of the best international
players without making the investment of travelling to international locations.
·
HCL Indian Junior
Open –the
annual flagship event in the junior category by HCL will now be organized as aPlatinum event under the Asian Squash Federation (ASF) calendar
(the highest level championship in the Asian Circuit) and
will be rated as a Six-startournament by SRFI.The top players from this tournament will receive ranking
points which will add up to their junior Asian rankings in the relevant age
group.
·
HCL
High Performance Camps – half-yearly,two-week
performance camps for 32 shortlisted junior players with top national and
international coaches. These camps will be geared towards improving game tactics,
strength and conditioning and will also focus on nutritional
direction and psychological counselling. Individual player assessment reports
will be created during these camps by leveraging sports science, to offer
customized guidance to each player and help them perform better
against their international counterparts.
Announcing the HCL Squash Podium Program, Sundar
Mahalingam, Chief Strategy Officer, HCL Corporation said,“HCL has been supporting Squash for over
three years now by creating world-class individual tournaments.As an
organization, HCL believes in driving deep impact in the areas that we support
and therefore we are now strengthening our commitment to the sport with the aim
of significantly enhancing the existing Squash ecosystem in the country. This
will require long-term investment covering a breadth of areas including
tournaments, coaching and mental and physical fitness of the players. I am
hopeful that the combined efforts of HCL and SRFI will help promising players
emerge as the next stars of Indian Squash on the global stage.”
Mr.
Debendranath Sarangi, President SRFI said,“Indian Squash has grabbed a lot of
attention in the recent years with players like Joshna Chinappa and Saurav
Ghoshal securing important international wins for the country. However, there
are only three Indian players in Top 50 PSA rankings in the world today
(including Joshna and Saurav). To ensure that Indian Squash not only continues
its success but emerges at the top, it is important that the next rung of
players get the right exposure both in terms of quality of tournaments as well
as coaching. With HCL, we have found common synergies in terms of our goals for
Indian Squash. I am confident that through our combined efforts we will enable
India take its rightful place in the
pantheon of great squash playing nations.”
HCLhasbeen supporting Squash in the country
for over three years now and has been organizing HCL Junior Squash tournament
since 2016. HCL scaled-up its efforts by partnering with SRFI to organize the
HCL Senior National Squash Championship in 2017 and again in 2018.
Indian
player rankings
Last
month, SauravGhoshal became the first Indian male squash player to enter the
top 10 in the latest PSA world rankings. Egypt's world champion Ali Farag,
meanwhile, maintains his position at the top of the ladder. The other
Indian male in the top 50 is RamitTandon (49).
In the
women's rankings, Joshna Chinappa continuesto be the best-ranked Indian, moving
up to the 15th position. DipikaPalllikalKarthikhad earlier become the
first Indian woman to be ranked 10, she is currently ranked 73 as she has not
being playing competitive squash sinceOctober 2018.
HCL & Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) partnership to Remodel the Squash Ecosystemhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noNw32n6N-Y
Sundar Mahalingam & Debendranath Sarangi SRFI Président address media on Squash Eco System
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ReOfnE2dQ&t=20s
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